give away
Britishverb
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to donate or bestow as a gift, prize, etc
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to sell very cheaply
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to reveal or betray (esp in the phrases give the game or show away )
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to fail to use (an opportunity) through folly or neglect
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to present (a bride) formally to her husband in a marriage ceremony
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informal to give up or abandon (something)
noun
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a betrayal or disclosure of information, esp when unintentional
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something given, esp with articles on sale, at little or no charge to increase sales, attract publicity, etc
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journalism another name for freesheet
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a radio or television programme characterized by the award of money and prizes
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(modifier)
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very cheap (esp in the phrase giveaway prices )
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free of charge
a giveaway property magazine
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Make a gift of, bestow, as in I decided to give away all my plants . [c. 1400]
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Present a bride to the groom in a marriage ceremony, as in Her father gave Karen away . [c. 1700]
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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.
Steyer adds that he and his wife have pledged to give away most of their wealth before they die.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Arsenal and Manchester United were the only teams not to give away any.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Don’t give away your husband’s retirement fund before you know what might happen next.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
We can pack or give away possessions, but the tech gods preserve the digital lives forever of those we’ve lost.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
The girls helped weed out Mamá’s vegetable garden and picked fat zucchini, ripened tomatoes, and spicy serrano peppers, which they bundled together in delicate netting to give away as gifts to Mamá’s comadres.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
