something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
the act of giving.
something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned.
Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.
a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent.
the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.
to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
to present (someone) with a gift.
just the thing to gift the newlyweds.
something given; a present
a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent
the power or right to give or bestow (esp in the phrases in the gift of, in ( someone's ) gift )
the act or process of giving
(usually negative) to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit
to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
(often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift
rare to endow with; bestow
See present 2.
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give
A gift is an item that's given without any expectation of payment — it's a present. A gift may be the present you receive on your birthday or it may be a natural gift or talent you possess — like your gift for reading lips. People give gifts to mark special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. and some holidays. Sometimes tourists buy gifts while on vacation and bring them home to their friends and family. Another kind of gift is a special ability: "She has such a gift for learning languages." The root of gift is probably the Old Norse gipt or gift, which means both "gift" and "good luck."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then what comes out basically in secret the next day is a gift that could benefit him to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
The Amazon founder’s innovations save customers 22 hours a year on average, giving them the gift of time.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Proceeds of crimes laws apply in Scotland, and make provision for property in the hands of others to be treated as a "tainted gift" where it can be linked to criminal conduct.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Sadly, Armando was unauthorized to give me merch, but he did offer me a gift card in a tiny envelope.
From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026
When she was telling me stories and answering my questions, I felt excited about my gift.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
