gift
noun
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
gift
1 American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
-
gifts
plural
-
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
-
the act of giving.
-
something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned.
Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.
-
a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent.
the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.
verb (used with object)
-
gifts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gifted,
past participle, past
-
gifting
present participle
-
to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
-
to present (someone) with a gift.
just the thing to gift the newlyweds.
GIFT
2
American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
gift
1
British
/ ɡɪft /
noun
-
something given; a present
-
a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent
-
the power or right to give or bestow (esp in the phrases in the gift of, in ( someone's ) gift )
-
the act or process of giving
-
(usually negative) to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit
verb
-
to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
-
(often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift
-
rare to endow with; bestow
GIFT
2
British
/ ɡɪft /
acronym
gift
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See present 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
giftsimple
-
giftssimple
-
have giftedperfect
-
has giftedperfect
-
am giftingprogressive
-
are giftingprogressive
-
is giftingprogressive
-
have been giftingperfect progressive
-
has been giftingperfect progressive
Past
-
giftedsimple
-
had giftedperfect
-
was giftingprogressive
-
were giftingprogressive
-
had been giftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gift
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give
Explanation
A gift is an item that's given without any expectation of payment — it's a present. A gift may be the present you receive on your birthday or it may be a natural gift or talent you possess — like your gift for reading lips. People give gifts to mark special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. and some holidays. Sometimes tourists buy gifts while on vacation and bring them home to their friends and family. Another kind of gift is a special ability: "She has such a gift for learning languages." The root of gift is probably the Old Norse gipt or gift, which means both "gift" and "good luck."
Vocabulary lists containing gift
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:
A recent $200-million gift is fueling a university-wide push into artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
USC is also leaning into artificial intelligence, with a $200-million gift from Nvidia board member Mark Stevens and his wife, Mary Stevens, meant to infuse AI across the campus and recruit AI researchers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
As befits an obsessive director, it’s a gift for obsessives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
I’ve walked into plenty of busy restaurants where the prevailing atmosphere suggested human error was the expectation rather than the exception, and a kiosk felt like a little gift.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
I straighten the brim of the new running hat I bought with Dad’s gift certificate, which is not suffocating my scalp, thank goodness, but it does keep riding down my forehead.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
PGA GIFT: All the past PGA champions at Quail Hollow might have stars in their eyes.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
In GIFT, by contrast, the embryo drifts quietly into the uterus, much as it would naturally.
From Time Magazine Archive
Asch was trying to find a simpler way to do IVF, one that would not require the skills of an embryologist, when he hit upon the procedure he called gamete intra-Fallopian transfer, or GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Los Angeles couple went through a five-year effort that included hormone treatment, artificial insemination, an ectopic pregnancy, sperm washing and finally GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
"OUR GIFT" has been prepared as a token of affection for our Sunday school Pupils, and it is hoped that it may serve a similar purpose in the hands of other teachers.
From Our Gift by Boston Teachers of the School Street Universalist Sunday School
The kahu kiwi was one of the farewell gifts presented by Māori leaders in 1900 to Dr George Cleghorn, a medical doctor who had been working in New Zealand.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Consider this before making gifts to a young person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I’d also be fine with smaller gifts and putting the rest toward our retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Geese frontman’s new LP, recorded alone at a piano at the New York concert hall, showcases his gifts and quirks as a performer and songwriter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A little while later, Mrs. Brisbane announced that she had another surprise: gifts for the class.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
It was gifted by the Australian New South Wales parliament for the building's opening in 2006, handcrafted from gold, silver and brass.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Six of the pachyderms were gifted to the circus by Russian ally Myanmar in 2025 to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
But he was such a gifted athlete at the University of Minnesota that the Vikings decided he was worth risking in the 17th round of the NFL draft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
As a child I was once gifted a “custom” cassette tape with songs “written for me.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“A tremendously gifted runner. Now that she’s back on her feet, we want to get her back on the track.”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Instead of gifting the money for the purchase, Ross provided the mortgage at a lower interest rate by using the IRS-standard applicable federal rate and is generating a stable return on his investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The players had just laboured through the opening period of the second half, culminating in a Lisandro Martinez own goal gifting the home side the lead.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
One of Burning Man’s 10 principles is gifting, which is why the festival runs on a gifting economy.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
After the United States, the gifting initiative launched in Canada in 2006, then the U.K. in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Thank you for the ride,” she says, gifting him with a radiant smile.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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