The practice of compromise, as in Every contract involves some give and take . This expression was first recorded in 1778, although the verbal idiom, to give and take , was used from the early 1500s.
the practice of dealing by compromise or mutual concession; cooperation.
good-natured exchange of talk, ideas, etc.
mutual concessions, shared benefits, and cooperation
a smoothly flowing exchange of ideas and talk
The practice of compromise, as in Every contract involves some give and take . This expression was first recorded in 1778, although the verbal idiom, to give and take , was used from the early 1500s.
Lively exchange of ideas or conversation, as in The legislature is famous for raucous give and take . [Second half of 1800s]
First recorded in 1760–70
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She guides her clients to prompt AI to engage in the natural give-and-take of a conversation instead of asking it to generate a full script.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The European Union, with its cumbersome culture of consensus-building and give-and-take, was the most elaborate expression of that political way of life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
But also Eileen doesn’t quite know what that takes, what a relationship takes, the give-and-take.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Whatever the reason, it’s a shame that one of the couple’s final collaborative works — a very sweet and realistic tale of give-and-take — is all but missing from the documentary about their relationship.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2025
My increased knowledge led to enriched, stimulating, give-and-take engagement with art.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
Then, on a hot D.C. morning, usually in June, extremely consequential opinions pop up on the court’s website that give and take the rights of millions of Americans.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
There’s a lesson there, though, in the never-ending give and take between popular folk and commercial pop music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
“D-I-V-O-R-C-E, you know — it’s always give and take to meet each other’s needs,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025
Both Qualley and Plaza are totally game, and they both give and take in equal measure, basking in their characters’ pleasure rather than trying to woo the audience.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2025
With their loose sentence structure and the melodic give and take allowing a team approach to conversation I knew they were Guyanese.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
