give over
Britishverb
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(tr) to transfer, esp to the care or custody of another
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(tr) to assign or resign to a specific purpose or function
the day was given over to pleasure
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informal to cease (an activity)
give over fighting, will you!
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Hand over, entrust, as in They gave over all the papers to the library . [Late 1400s]
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Also, give oneself over . Devote or surrender to a particular purpose or use, as in The whole day was given over to merrymaking , or He gave himself over to grief . [Late 1400s]
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.
When Adams finally produced his personal phone the next day, it was locked with a new six-digit passcode that the mayor refused to give over to the feds, claiming that he could not remember it.
From Slate • Sep. 26, 2024
“It was complicated, I won’t lie. You really have to give over and say, ‘We’re going to treat your brand with a lot of respect,’” he says about Paramount.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2024
“We have such a platform — we do 60 keynote events a year — it just made more sense not to give over control to a publisher,” Mr. Bomberger said.
From Washington Times • Mar. 23, 2023
If we only give, over time, we will see others as takers.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2022
But the eldest son was not ready to give over.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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.
