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.
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 is hard to give away billions of dollars,” the octogenarian told The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
These are online groups where people give away things they no longer need, like clothes, books and furniture.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
On the other hand, if you want to emphasize that several things about Phyllis show her age, you should choose plurals for both verbs: What give away Phyllis's age are the knees and the facelift.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
