give it to

Idioms

Punish or reprimand, as in Dad really gave it to Tom for coming in so late. This expression, implying a physical or verbal attack, dates from the late 1500s. Also see give someone hell. In more recent times the expression gave rise to give it to someone straight, meaning “to tell someone something candidly and directly.” For example, I asked the doctor to give it to use straight about Mother's condition.

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.

I did get it because they couldn’t not give it to me.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

“We want Greenland. They don’t want to give it to us and I said, ‘OK, bye bye.’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

They don’t want to give it to us.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

"They don't want to give it to us. And I said, 'bye, bye.'"

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

“I wasn’t going to give it to you, but...”

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023