gift

¹

[gift]

noun

1. something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

   Synonyms: dowry, inheritance, legacy, bequest, subsidy, allowance, premium, tip, gratuity, alms, largesse, boon, bounty, endowment, benefaction, offering, contribution, donation

2. the act of giving.

3. 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.

4. a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent.

   the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.

   Synonyms: knack, turn, genius, forte, bent, capability, aptitude, faculty

verb (used with object)

1. to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.

2. to present (someone) with a gift.

   just the thing to gift the newlyweds.

GIFT

²

[gift]

noun

1. gamete intrafallopian transfer: a laparoscopic process in which eggs are retrieved from an ovary by aspiration and inserted, along with sperm, into the fallopian tube of another woman.

gift

¹

/ ɡɪft /

noun

1. something given; a present

2. a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent

3. the power or right to give or bestow (esp in the phrases in the gift of, in ( someone's ) gift )

4. the act or process of giving

5. (usually negative) to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit

verb

1. to present (something) as a gift to (a person)

2. (often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift

3. rare,  to endow with; bestow

GIFT

²

/ ɡɪft /

acronym

1. gamete intrafallopian transfer: a technique, similar to in vitro fertilization, that enables some women who are unable to conceive to bear children. Egg cells are removed from the woman's ovary, mixed with sperm, and introduced into one of her Fallopian tubes

Other Word Forms

• giftless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gift¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give

Word History and Origins

Origin of gift¹

Old English gift payment for a wife, dowry; related to Old Norse gipt, Old High German gift, Gothic fragifts endowment, engagement; see _give

Idioms and Phrases

• look a gift horse in the mouth

Synonym Study

See present ².

Example Sentences

We were built to socialize, the author writes; it’s time we “honor the biology we’ve been gifted.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We’re in the fortunate position to be able to give gifts to our married son but have yet to do so in a substantial way.

Read more on MarketWatch

It was a gift from his late father, a doctor who survived the Holocaust.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A full recovery and comeback followed, and the five years since her return have been fruitful for one of the most gifted players to represent the Lionesses in recent times.

Read more on BBC

"You think it might be a one-off gift of your body and you close the book, that's not the case," daughter Carol said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• allowance 
• award 
• benefit 
• bonus 
• contribution 
• donation 
• endowment 
• favor 
• giveaway 
• grant 
• legacy 
• offering 
• premium 
• present 
• relief 
• reward 
• souvenir 
• subsidy 
• tip 
• tribute