something conceded or relinquished; concession.
Labor has balked at any more give-ups in the contract talks.
Stock Exchange.
a commission shared among two or more stockbrokers.
a part of a commission that constitutes a single such share.
to abandon hope (for)
(tr) to renounce (an activity, belief, etc)
I have given up smoking
(tr) to relinquish or resign from
he gave up the presidency
(tr; usually reflexive) to surrender
the escaped convict gave himself up
(tr) to reveal or disclose (information)
(intr) to admit one's defeat or inability to do something
(tr; often passive or reflexive) to devote completely (to)
she gave herself up to caring for the sick
Surrender, as in The suspect gave himself up . [1100s]
Stop doing or performing something, as in They gave up the search , or She gave up smoking almost thirty years ago . [c. 1600]
Part with, relinquish, as in They gave up their New York apartment , or We gave up all hope of finding the lost tickets . [Mid-1500s]
Lose hope for, as in We had given you up as lost . [Late 1500s]
Admit defeat, as in I give up—what's the right answer? [c. 1600]
give up on . Abandon, lose one's faith in, as in I gave up on writing a novel , or She gave up on religion years ago . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s] Also see give oneself up to .
First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase give up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet, in these cases, the great powers had to give up because of protracted, painful insurgencies that followed conventional military victories and eventually sapped domestic support for war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"You never give up. No matter the situation you never give up, never throw the towel in."
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Now that he has to give up something, what does he give up?
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
My only coping mechanism was to give up trying and read.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Libra: Don’t give up on finding the information you seek.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
