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Synonyms

give away

British  

verb

  1. to donate or bestow as a gift, prize, etc

  2. to sell very cheaply

  3. to reveal or betray (esp in the phrases give the game or show away )

  4. to fail to use (an opportunity) through folly or neglect

  5. to present (a bride) formally to her husband in a marriage ceremony

  6. informal to give up or abandon (something)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a betrayal or disclosure of information, esp when unintentional

  2. something given, esp with articles on sale, at little or no charge to increase sales, attract publicity, etc

  3. journalism another name for freesheet

  4. a radio or television programme characterized by the award of money and prizes

  5. (modifier)

    1. very cheap (esp in the phrase giveaway prices )

    2. free of charge

      a giveaway property magazine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
give away Idioms  
  1. Make a gift of, bestow, as in I decided to give away all my plants . [c. 1400]

  2. Present a bride to the groom in a marriage ceremony, as in Her father gave Karen away . [c. 1700]

  3. Reveal or make something known, often unintentionally; also, betray or expose someone. For example, She gave away her true feelings , or He gave away his accomplices . This idiom is sometimes put as give oneself away , as in If you don't want the family to know about your gambling, don't give yourself away by spending your winnings . [Late 1800s]


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:

Poor penalty to give away for Gibbs-White's goal.

From BBC Aug. 29, 2026

"Now we give away 3.4 million books a month to kids" up to age five, Dollywood Foundation's treasurer Eugene Naughton told AFP.

From Barron's Aug. 27, 2026

It must clearly state your wish to give away your property and include your signature.

From MarketWatch Aug. 24, 2026

And maybe there even would’ve been a civil action against them to try to do those two things that I said, stop sending out money and give away the money they have.

From Slate Aug. 22, 2026

I was also buying presents to give away.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

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