give out
Britishverb
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(tr) to emit or discharge
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(tr) to publish or make known
the chairman gave out that he would resign
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(tr) to hand out or distribute
they gave out free chewing gum on the street
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(intr) to become exhausted; fail
the supply of candles gave out
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informal to reprimand (someone) at length
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(tr) cricket (of an umpire) to declare (a batsman) dismissed
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Allow to be known, declare publicly, as in They gave out that she was ill . [Mid-1300s]
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Send forth, emit, as in The machine gave out a steady buzzing . [Mid-1400s]
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Distribute, as in They gave out surplus food every week . [c. 1700]
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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.
This was a nice boost for State Farm policyholders, but the mutual company does not give out dividends every year.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 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
One of Wilson's most integral bands, The Happy Mondays, were on had to give out an award at the Brits.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
And user trust is still an ongoing issue, given the potential for AI chatbots to hallucinate or otherwise give out bad information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
"Because grown-ups don't give out stink-waves," she said.
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
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.
