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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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]


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.

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

“So they can use it to give out loans,” said one student, a junior.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 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

The group will also give out prayer cards featuring a prayer written by pupils from The Archbishop's School in Canterbury.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

My knees start to give out and I sink down next to Beetee, resting my weight on my heels.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

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