given
Americanverb
adjective
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stated, fixed, or specified.
at a given time.
-
addicted or disposed (often followed byto ).
given to making snide remarks.
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bestowed as a gift; conferred.
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assigned as a basis of calculation, reasoning, etc..
Given A and B, C follows.
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Mathematics. known or independently determined.
a given magnitude.
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(on official documents) executed and delivered as of the date shown.
noun
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givens
plural
verb
adjective
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tending (to); inclined or addicted (to)
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specific or previously stated
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assumed as a premise
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maths known or determined independently
a given volume
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(on official documents) issued or executed, as on a stated date
noun
-
an assumed fact
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philosophy the supposed raw data of experience See also sense datum
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of given
First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective
Explanation
A given is some detail or fact that is known to be true. Your mother might say, "It's a given that I'll always love you, no matter how annoying you are." Something's a given if it's an established situation that you're sure of. It's a given that a first class airplane ticket will cost a lot more than a seat in coach, and it's also a given that the earth orbits the sun. It can also be an adjective: "After considering the given facts, mark an answer on the multiple-choice test." Given comes from the verb give, which has an Old English root of giefan, "to bestow, allot, or commit."
Vocabulary lists containing given
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:
Dodgers starter Blake Snell, who hasn’t given up more than one run in any of his seven starts back from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, was stifling on the mound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
As the due date rapidly approaches, they were given a hospital tour as an accessibility requirement.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
He added that he didn't "negotiate ministerial posts before election results," meaning it would later be decided which positions would be given to the Sweden Democrats.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
All eyes have been on diesel, however, given it’s the fuel of choice for heavy-duty vehicles and machinery.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Three weekends in a row helping Dad was enough for me, especially given the amount of homework I had piling up.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
His thinking begins instead with three separate givens: God, world, human being.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
They call each other wives, because in 2025 same-sex marriage and parenting are givens, not distant fantasies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
But coach Bev Priestman suggested that growing parity means there are no givens.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
It is only in such moments, when the musical acknowledges its givens, that it comes to life.
From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2021
They were, like this new body she was growing into, givens.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
