give-up
noun
something conceded or relinquished; concession.
give-up
American
[giv-uhp]
/ ˈgɪvˌʌp /
noun
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something conceded or relinquished; concession.
Labor has balked at any more give-ups in the contract talks.
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Stock Exchange.
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a commission shared among two or more stockbrokers.
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a part of a commission that constitutes a single such share.
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give up
British
verb
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to abandon hope (for)
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(tr) to renounce (an activity, belief, etc)
I have given up smoking
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(tr) to relinquish or resign from
he gave up the presidency
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(tr; usually reflexive) to surrender
the escaped convict gave himself up
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(tr) to reveal or disclose (information)
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(intr) to admit one's defeat or inability to do something
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(tr; often passive or reflexive) to devote completely (to)
she gave herself up to caring for the sick
give up
Idioms
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Surrender, as in The suspect gave himself up . [1100s]
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Stop doing or performing something, as in They gave up the search , or She gave up smoking almost thirty years ago . [c. 1600]
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Part with, relinquish, as in They gave up their New York apartment , or We gave up all hope of finding the lost tickets . [Mid-1500s]
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Lose hope for, as in We had given you up as lost . [Late 1500s]
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Admit defeat, as in I give up—what's the right answer? [c. 1600]
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give up on . Abandon, lose one's faith in, as in I gave up on writing a novel , or She gave up on religion years ago . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s] Also see give oneself up to .
Etymology
Origin of give-up
First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase give up
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.
See Examples For:
That give-up would represent an implicit payment for the security imparted by the U.S. to the rest of the world.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
“There’s no give-up in her. She reminds me of myself.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
"There’s no give-up in this team," Kemp said.
From Fox News ● Aug. 30, 2021
"Leona has had a fantastic year and has a real grittiness. She's a good match player and will be solid, one of those never give-up players," said Matthew.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2021
Oh, love, you might give-up for to-day, and take me down!
From The Gay Lord Quex A Comedy in Four Acts by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero
The proposal would require the company to open-source its ticketing software and to sell or give up control at about three-quarters of its amphitheaters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It takes courage to hold onto it, and a different kind of courage to give up.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Macron's office has said the president has no plans to give up on his push to bar children from apps such as TikTok and the government would work on a new draft law.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
He said he was enjoying what he was currently doing too much and did not want to have to give up control of his business interests to comply with official rules.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
When they finished, Anat seemed to give up fighting them both and sat motionless in the seat, though her gaze was still fixed on Boaz.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
