View synonyms for give

give

[ giv ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

, gave [geyv], giv·en [giv, -, uh, n], giv·ing.

to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow:
to give a birthday present to someone.
Synonyms: contribute, donate, supply, provide, furnish, accord, impart, vouchsafe, offer
Antonyms: receive
to hand to someone:
Give me that plate, please.
to place in someone's care:
If you give me your coat, I'll put it in the closet.
to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone:
Give me a chance.
to impart or communicate:
to give advice; to give a cold to someone.
to set forth or show; present; offer:
He gave no reason for his lateness.
to pay or transfer possession to another in exchange for something:
They gave five dollars for the picture. He gave me the car for $800.
to furnish, provide, or proffer:
to give evidence; Let me give you my umbrella before you go out in this rain.
to provide as an entertainment or social function:
to give a New Year's Eve party.
to deal or administer:
to give a blow to someone; to give medicine to a patient.
to put forth, emit, or utter; issue:
to give a cry; to give a command.
to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usually used passively):
These facts being given, the argument makes sense.
to produce, yield, or afford:
to give good results; 9 × 8 gives 72; The hen gave six eggs a week.
to make, do, or perform:
to give a start; to give a lurch.
to perform or present publicly:
to give a play; to give a concert.
to cause; be responsible for (usually followed by an infinitive):
They gave me to understand that you would be there.
to care about something to the value or extent of (something fanciful):
I don't give a hoot about his opinion.
to relinquish or sacrifice:
to give one's life for a cause.
Synonyms: yield, cede
to convey or transmit:
Give Aunt Betty my love.
to assign or allot:
Give every man a full ration of biscuits. They gave him the name of “Joseph.”
to bestow (the object of one's choice) upon, as if by providence:
Give me the wide open spaces anytime.
to be connected with, as by a telephone operator:
Give me 235-7522.
to present to an audience, as an entertainer, speaker, or act:
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas.
to attribute or ascribe:
to give the devil his due; After long study the critic gave the unsigned work to a minor impressionist.
to cause or occasion:
She gives me a pain in the neck.
to apply fully or freely:
He gives his free time to golf.
to award by verdict or after consideration:
A decision was given for the defendant.
to inflict as a punishment on another; punish by; impose a sentence of:
The judge gave him five years.
to pledge, offer as a pledge, or execute and deliver:
He gave her his promise. Can you give bond?
to propose as the subject of a toast (followed by an indirect object):
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country.
to bear to a man; deliver (followed by an indirect object):
She gave him a beautiful baby boy.
to sire upon a woman; father (followed by an indirect object):
He gave her two children in the first five years of marriage.
to concede or grant, as a point in an argument.

verb (used without object)

, gave [geyv], giv·en [giv, -, uh, n], giv·ing.

to make a gift or gifts; contribute:
to give to the United Way.
to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise:
We can't negotiate until each side is willing to give on some points.
to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc.:
A horsehair mattress doesn't give much.
to collapse; break down; fall apart; fail:
The antique chair gave when I sat on it.
to be warm and open in relationships with other persons:
a withdrawn person who doesn't know how to give.
Informal. to divulge information:
Okay now, give! What happened?
to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead (usually followed by on, onto, etc.):
The window gives on the sea. This door gives onto the hallway.

noun

the quality or state of being resilient; springiness.

verb phrase

1. to send out; emit.
2. to make public; announce.
3. to distribute; issue.
4. to become exhausted.
5. to become used up; fail:
  The fuel gave out.
6. to do or express something, especially unrestrainedly or easily:
  to give out with a song.
birth ( def 10 ).
1. to put into the care of; transfer:
  She gave over all her property to her daughter.
2. to put an end to; stop:
  They will never give over their impossible dreams.
3. to indulge in without restraint:
  She gave herself over to tears.
4. to devote to a specified activity:
  The day was given over to relaxing in the sun.
1. to acknowledge defeat; yield.
2. to hand in; deliver:
  Please give in your timecards.
1. to give as a present; bestow.
2. to present (the bride) to the bridegroom in a marriage ceremony.
3. to expose or betray (a person).
4. to reveal (a confidence or secret, hidden motives, true feelings, etc.):
  That remark gave away his real feelings.
to devote or contribute generously of:
to give of oneself; to give of one's abundance.
to put forth; emit:
The gardenia gives off a very strong fragrance.
1. to abandon hope; despair.
2. to desist from; renounce:
  to give up smoking.
3. to surrender; relinquish.
4. to devote (oneself ) entirely to:
  She gave herself up to her job and seldom saw her old friends.
5. South Midland U.S. to consider; deem:
  She's given up to be the kindest woman around here.
to return (something), as to its owner; restore:
You haven't given back the books you borrowed from me.

give

/ ɡɪv /

verb

also intr to present or deliver voluntarily (something that is one's own) to the permanent possession of another or others
often foll by for to transfer (something that is one's own, esp money) to the possession of another as part of an exchange
to give fifty pounds for a painting
to place in the temporary possession of another
I gave him my watch while I went swimming
whenintr, foll by of to grant, provide, or bestow
give me some advice
to administer
to give a reprimand
to award or attribute
to give blame, praise, etc
to be a source of
he gives no trouble
to impart or communicate
give a person a cold
to give news
to utter or emit
to give a shout
to perform, make, or do
the car gave a jolt and stopped
to sacrifice or devote
he gave his life for his country
to surrender
to give place to others
to concede or yield
I will give you this game
informal.
intr to happen
what gives?
often foll by to to cause; lead
she gave me to believe that she would come
foll by for to value (something) at
I don't give anything for his promises
to perform or present as an entertainment
to give a play
to propose as a toast
I give you the Queen
intr to yield or break under force or pressure
his courage will never give
this surface will give if you sit on it
give as good as one gets
to respond to verbal or bodily blows to at least an equal extent as those received
give battle
to commence fighting
give birth
often foll by to
1. to bear (offspring)
2. to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)
give a person five or give a person some skin slang.
to greet or congratulate someone by slapping raised hands
give ground
to draw back or retreat
give it up for someone slang.
to applaud someone
give someone one slang.
to have sex with someone
give rise to
to be the cause of
give me informal.
I prefer
give me hot weather any day!
give or take
plus or minus
three thousand people came, give or take a few hundred
give way
See way
give a person what for informal.
to punish or reprimand a person severely

noun

a tendency to yield under pressure; resilience
there's bound to be some give in a long plank
there is no give in his moral views

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Derived Forms

ˈgiver, noun
ˈgivable, adjective

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Other Words From

giva·ble givea·ble adjective noun
giver noun
non·giving adjective
re·give verb regave regiven regiving
self-giving adjective
un·givea·ble adjective
un·giving adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of give¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Old Norse gefa (compare Danish give ); replacing Middle English yeven, yiven, Old English gefan, giefan; cognate with Dutch geven, German geben, Gothic giban (the pronunciation of the Middle English and Old English forms with initial y- were replaced by Old Norse g- as early as 1200 in parts of the Danelaw ( def ) )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of give¹

Old English giefan; related to Old Norse gefa, Gothic giban, Old High German geban, Swedish giva

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

give and take,
1. to compromise in order to cooperate:
  A willingness to give and take is important for success in marriage.
2. to exchange ideas:
  an informal meeting in which there would be opportunities to give and take.
give ground, to yield before superior force, as of arms or of reasoning.
give it to, Informal. to reprimand or punish:
His father really gave it to him for coming home so late.
give or take, plus or minus a specified amount; more or less:
It will cost $20, give or take a dollar or two.
give battle. battle ¹( def 10 ).
give rise to. rise ( def 55 ).
give way. way ¹( def 25 ).

More idioms and phrases containing give

hard time (give someone a)
Indian giver
never give a sucker an even break
not care (give) a rap
not give someone the time of day
what's cooking (gives)
get
have

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Synonym Study

Give, confer, grant, present may mean that something concrete or abstract is bestowed on one person by another. Give is the general word: to give someone a book, permission, etc. Confer usually means to give an honor or a favor; it implies courteous and gracious giving: to confer a degree. Grant is limited to the idea of acceding to a request; it may apply to the bestowal of privileges, or the fulfillment of an expressed wish: to grant a charter, a prayer, permission, etc. Present, a more formal word than give, usually implies a certain ceremony in the giving: to present a citation to a regiment.

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Example Sentences

Trump’s pick for the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement official has been closely watched, given the stakes.

From Los Angeles Times

“They already give supplements and provide health care services to pregnant women. Now extend that to menopausal women.”

From BBC

“France does not give way to those who sow hatred,” he said.

From BBC

There's no mistaking the message of goodwill, as a voiceover encourages viewers to "think big", but also asks: "Is it not more Christmassy to give?"

From BBC

President-elect Donald Trump has given two wealthy entrepreneurs a mission that has eluded many other occupants of the White House: Make the U.S. government smaller and more efficient.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

giusto give a bad name to

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