gift
noun
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
gift
1 American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
-
gifts
plural
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
gifts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gifted,
past participle, past
-
gifting
present participle
-
to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
-
to present (someone) with a gift.
just the thing to gift the newlyweds.
GIFT
2
American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
gift
1
British
/ ɡɪft /
noun
-
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
verb
-
to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
-
(often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift
-
rare to endow with; bestow
GIFT
2
British
/ ɡɪft /
acronym
gift
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See present 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
giftsimple
-
giftssimple
-
have giftedperfect
-
has giftedperfect
-
am giftingprogressive
-
are giftingprogressive
-
is giftingprogressive
-
have been giftingperfect progressive
-
has been giftingperfect progressive
Past
-
giftedsimple
-
had giftedperfect
-
was giftingprogressive
-
were giftingprogressive
-
had been giftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gift
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give
Explanation
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."
Vocabulary lists containing gift
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On the morning Holmes is due to report to prison, Fielder arrives with a parting gag gift: hair dye and glasses, in case she’d prefer to disguise herself and flee the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
USC is also leaning into artificial intelligence, with a $200-million gift from Nvidia board member Mark Stevens and his wife, Mary Stevens, meant to infuse AI across the campus and recruit AI researchers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
To avoid gift tax rules, intrafamily loans over $10,000 must charge at least the minimum federal interest rate set monthly by the IRS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
I’ve walked into plenty of busy restaurants where the prevailing atmosphere suggested human error was the expectation rather than the exception, and a kiosk felt like a little gift.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
If I had used my gift in a better way this morning, I could’ve talked to Leo about his own feelings about the fight, instead of trying to mess with Michelle.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
PGA GIFT: All the past PGA champions at Quail Hollow might have stars in their eyes.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
The Los Angeles couple went through a five-year effort that included hormone treatment, artificial insemination, an ectopic pregnancy, sperm washing and finally GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
Asch was trying to find a simpler way to do IVF, one that would not require the skills of an embryologist, when he hit upon the procedure he called gamete intra-Fallopian transfer, or GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
In GIFT, by contrast, the embryo drifts quietly into the uterus, much as it would naturally.
From Time Magazine Archive
"OUR GIFT" has been prepared as a token of affection for our Sunday school Pupils, and it is hoped that it may serve a similar purpose in the hands of other teachers.
From Our Gift by Boston Teachers of the School Street Universalist Sunday School
“The death of leaves,” he writes, “is one of the many gifts that plants make to the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The gifts can be cash or other assets, like stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I’d also be fine with smaller gifts and putting the rest toward our retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Bouquets of banknotes or cakes decorated with currency are often ordered as gifts for weddings, birthdays, graduations and other celebrations.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The muvuki returned to his house to prepare the medicine, and Uncle Kufa removed more gifts from the packs carried by the villagers.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
In New York he made friends with a large group of gifted fellow students, including Rockwell Kent, George Bellows and Guy Pène du Bois.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
It was gifted by the Australian New South Wales parliament for the building's opening in 2006, handcrafted from gold, silver and brass.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Six of the pachyderms were gifted to the circus by Russian ally Myanmar in 2025 to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“A husband destined for immortality has ended up a debt-ridden, third-rate comedian, laboring over his closing lines; a gifted child squandered his promise, consorting with moneylenders,” Li writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Regina knew that Bobby was intellectually gifted, but at first she didn’t consider him a “prodigy.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
One option I am considering is gifting 70% of the business to Son #1 at its current fair market value, with an agreed-upon price and terms for him to buy out Son #2’s 30%.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Instead of gifting the money for the purchase, Ross provided the mortgage at a lower interest rate by using the IRS-standard applicable federal rate and is generating a stable return on his investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The extraordinary gifting spree for which he will be remembered began around 2023.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
One of Burning Man’s 10 principles is gifting, which is why the festival runs on a gifting economy.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
He flips it on and reaches one arm across the back of the couch, gifting us with an unpleasant whiff of his armpits.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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