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• give-up
  give-up

  noun

  something conceded or relinquished; concession.
• give up
  give up

  verb

  to abandon hope (for)

give-up

American  

[giv-uhp] / ˈgɪvˌʌp /

noun

1. something conceded or relinquished; concession.

   Labor has balked at any more give-ups in the contract talks.

2. Stock Exchange.

   1. a commission shared among two or more stockbrokers.

   2. a part of a commission that constitutes a single such share.

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give up British  

verb

1. to abandon hope (for)

2. (tr) to renounce (an activity, belief, etc)

   I have given up smoking

3. (tr) to relinquish or resign from

   he gave up the presidency

4. (tr; usually reflexive) to surrender

   the escaped convict gave himself up

5. (tr) to reveal or disclose (information)

6. (intr) to admit one's defeat or inability to do something

7. (tr; often passive or reflexive) to devote completely (to)

   she gave herself up to caring for the sick

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give up Idioms  

1. Surrender, as in The suspect gave himself up . [1100s]

2. Stop doing or performing something, as in They gave up the search , or She gave up smoking almost thirty years ago . [c. 1600]

3. 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]

4. Lose hope for, as in We had given you up as lost . [Late 1500s]

5. Admit defeat, as in I give up—what's the right answer? [c. 1600]

6. 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 .

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Etymology

Origin of give-up

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase give up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

give-up give up

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

I guess if I was the give-up kind I'd have been flat on my back.

From Jane Journeys On by Mitchell, Ruth Comfort

Some CEOs say it takes some convincing to get them to give up their retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"Never give up... pray to God. Listen to your parents, education is first, that's all," says Sierra.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

They become caretakers and give up work early, losing years of potential income.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

It was clear early on that Sasaki, who didn’t give up an earned run in 5 ⅔ innings, had something a little extra.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Libra: Don’t give up on finding the information you seek.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• allowance
• compensation
• discount
• kickback
• payment
• rebate
• reimbursement
• repayment
• restitution