give out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to emit or discharge

2. (tr) to publish or make known

   the chairman gave out that he would resign

3. (tr) to hand out or distribute

   they gave out free chewing gum on the street

4. (intr) to become exhausted; fail

   the supply of candles gave out

5. informal to reprimand (someone) at length

6. (tr) cricket (of an umpire) to declare (a batsman) dismissed

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give out Idioms  

1. Allow to be known, declare publicly, as in They gave out that she was ill . [Mid-1300s]

2. Send forth, emit, as in The machine gave out a steady buzzing . [Mid-1400s]

3. Distribute, as in They gave out surplus food every week . [c. 1700]

4. Stop functioning, fail; also, become exhausted or used up. For example, The motor gave out suddenly , or My strength simply gave out . [First half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

Scheduling this service is especially important if your AC is old or unreliable, because the last thing you need is for it to give out during a heat wave.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026

She also got to treat patients, including one with "fidgety legs", give out pretend prescriptions, take phone calls and tinker with various bits of medical equipment.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

However, if the others give out similar signals or if large hyperscalers—such as Microsoft, Amazon or Google—start easing capex spending, then the AI rally would be under serious threat.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

“A bunch of us took it upon ourselves to, you know, go downtown and give out these resources — the food, water and of course the PPE,” he said, referring to personal protective equipment.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

“He would’ve run away before he’d give out his real name, and I couldn’t let that happen. He was sick. He needed to see a doctor.”

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen