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)

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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

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]

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Example Sentences

Comedian Alan Carr has revealed he accidentally gave away that he had won the Celebrity Traitors, just 12 hours after filming the final episode.

From BBC

"And we are now in a position that we cannot afford a lot of mistakes anymore, because we've made far too many, and with mistakes I mean giving away goals in the last minute."

From Barron's

A vast stockpile of potatoes is being given away for free in Germany, after a farm in Saxony benefited from a bumper harvest.

From BBC

Businesses would be allowed to give away 14 days per year to charity and those days would count as being let.

From BBC

Neither of us dare to even glance at each other, afraid we’d give away the secret we’re keeping from our family.

From Literature

Related Words

• devote
• donate
• hand out