give (g?v)v. gave (g?v), giv·en (g?v??n), giv·ing, gives v.tr.1. To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.2. To place in the hands of; pass: Give me the scissors.3. a. To deliver in exchange or recompense; pay: gave five dollars for the book.b. To let go for a price; sell: gave the used car away for two thousand dollars.4. a. To administer: give him some cough medicine.b. To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.c. To inflict as punishment: was given life imprisonment for the crime.5. a. To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.b. To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.c. To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.d. To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.e. To communicate, convey, or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes. Give us the latest news.6. a. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.b. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.c. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.d. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.7. a. To allot as a portion or share.b. To bestow (a name, for example).c. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.d. To award as due: gave us first prize.8. To emit or utter: gave a groan; gave a muted response.9. To submit for consideration, acceptance, or use: give an opinion; give an excuse.10. a. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.b. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with another person.11. a. To perform for an audience: give a recital.b. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.12. a. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.b. To propose as a toast.13. a. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.b. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.c. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.14. a. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.b. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.c. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.15. a. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.b. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.16. To permit one to have or take: gave us an hour to finish.17. To take an interest to the extent of: “My dear, I don’t give a damn” (Margaret Mitchell).v.intr.1. To make gifts or donations: gives generously to charity.2. a. To yield to physical force: The sail gave during the storm.b. To collapse from force or pressure: The roof gave under the weight of the snow.c. To yield to change: Both sides will have to give on some issues.3. To afford access or a view; open: The doors give onto a terrace.4. Slang To be in progress; happen: What gives?n.1. Capacity or inclination to yield under pressure.2. The quality or condition of resilience; springiness: “Fruits that have some give … will have more juice than hard ones” (Elizabeth Schneider).Phrasal Verbs: give away1. To offer or provide at no cost to the recipient: The radio station gave away six tickets to the rock concert. I bought my toddler a small bed and gave her crib away.2. To reveal or make known: I avoid movie reviews that gives away plot twists. I stopped reading the book when my friend gave the ending away.3. To betray. give back To return: gave me back my book. give in1. To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.2. To cease opposition; yield. give of To devote or contribute: She really gave of her time to help. They give of themselves to improve the quality of education. give off To send forth; emit: chemical changes that give off energy. give out1. To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.2. To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.3. To distribute: gave out the surplus food.4. To stop functioning; fail.5. To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out. give over1. To hand over; entrust.2. To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.3. To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.4. To cause an activity to stop: ordered the combatants to give over. give up1. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.2. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.3. To part with; relinquish: gave up the apartment; gave up all hope.4. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost. To lose hope of seeing: We’d given you up an hour ago.5. To admit defeat.6. To abandon what one is doing or planning to do: gave up on writing the novel.Idioms: give a good account of (oneself) To behave or perform creditably. give birth to1. To bear as offspring.2. To be the origin of: a hobby that gave birth to a successful business. give ground To yield to a more powerful force; retreat. give it to Informal To punish or reprimand severely: My parents really gave it to me for coming in late. give or take Plus or minus a small specified amount: The chalet is close to the road, give or take a few hundred yards. give rise to To be the cause or origin of; bring about. give (someone) a piece of (one’s) mind To tell someone frankly what one thinks about something, especially when angry. give (someone) a hard time1. To make life difficult for; harass.2. To make fun of; tease. give (someone) the eye1. To look at admiringly or invitingly.2. To look at with an expression of disapproval. give the lie to1. To show to be inaccurate or untrue.2. To accuse of lying. give up the ghost To cease living or functioning; die. give way1. To retreat or withdraw.2. To yield the right of way: gave way to an oncoming car.3. To relinquish ascendancy or position: as day gives way slowly to night.4. To collapse from or as if from physical pressure: The ladder gave way.5. To yield to urging or demand; give in.6. To abandon oneself: give way to hysteria.[Middle English given, from Old English giefan and Old Norse gefa; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.give (??v) vb (mainly tr) , gives, giving, gave (?e?v) or given (???v?n) 1. (also intr) to present or deliver voluntarily (something that is one’s own) to the permanent possession of another or others2. (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. 3. to place in the temporary possession of another: I gave him my watch while I went swimming. 4. (when: intr, foll by of) to grant, provide, or bestow: give me some advice. 5. to administer: to give a reprimand. 6. to award or attribute: to give blame, praise, etc. 7. to be a source of: he gives no trouble. 8. to impart or communicate: to give news; give a person a cold. 9. to utter or emit: to give a shout. 10. to perform, make, or do: the car gave a jolt and stopped. 11. to sacrifice or devote: he gave his life for his country. 12. to surrender: to give place to others. 13. to concede or yield: I will give you this game. 14. (intr) informal to happen: what gives?. 15. (often foll by to) to cause; lead: she gave me to believe that she would come. 16. (foll by for) to value (something) at: I don’t give anything for his promises. 17. (Theatre) to perform or present as an entertainment: to give a play. 18. to propose as a toast: I give you the Queen. 19. (intr) to yield or break under force or pressure: this surface will give if you sit on it; his courage will never give. 20. give as good as one gets to respond to verbal or bodily blows to at least an equal extent as those received21. (Military) give battle to commence fighting22. (Medicine) to bear (offspring)23. to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)24. give a person five give a person some skin slang to greet or congratulate someone by slapping raised hands25. give ground to draw back or retreat26. give it up for someone slang to applaud someone27. give someone one slang Brit to have sex with someone28. give rise to to be the cause of29. give me informal I prefer: give me hot weather any day!. 30. give or take plus or minus: three thousand people came, give or take a few hundred. 31. give way See way2432. give a person what for informal to punish or reprimand a person severelyna 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. [Old English giefan; related to Old Norse gefa, Gothic giban, Old High German geban, Swedish giva] ?givable, ?giveable adj ?giver nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014give (g?v) v. gave, giv?en, giv?ing, n. v.t. 1. to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation: to give a birthday present to someone. 2. to hand to someone: Give me that plate, please. 3. to place in someone’s care: I gave the folders to your assistant. 4. to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone: Give me a chance. 5. to impart or communicate: to give advice; to give a cold to someone. 6. to set forth or show; present; offer: to give no reason for one’s actions. 7. to pay or transfer possession to another in exchange for something: They gave five dollars for the picture. 8. to furnish, provide, or proffer: to give evidence. 9. to provide as an entertainment or social function: to give a Halloween party. 10. to administer: to give medicine to a patient. 11. to put forth, emit, or utter; issue: to give a cry. 12. to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usu. used passively): These facts being given, the theory makes sense. 13. to produce, yield, or afford: to give good results. 14. to make, do, or perform: to give a lurch. 15. to perform or present publicly: to give a concert. 16. to cause; be responsible for (usu. fol. by an infinitive): They gave me to understand that you would be there. 17. to care about something to the value or extent of (something signifying ?even a little bit?): I don’t give a hoot about their opinion. Frankly, I don’t give a damn! 18. to relinquish or sacrifice: to give one’s life for a cause. 19. to convey or transmit: Give Grandma my love. 20. to assign or allot: They gave him the nickname ?Scooter.? 21. to bestow (the object of one’s choice), as if by providence: Give me the wide open spaces anytime. 22. to connect, as through a switchboard: Give me 235-7522. 23. to present to an audience: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas. 24. to attribute or ascribe: to give the devil his due. 25. to cause: Strawberries give me a rash. 26. to apply fully or freely; devote: to give one’s attention to a problem. 27. to award by verdict or after consideration: A decision was given for the defendant. 28. to inflict as a punishment on another; impose a sentence of: The judge gave him ten years. 29. to pledge, offer as a pledge, or execute and deliver: She gave him her word. 30. to propose as the subject of a toast (fol. by an indirect object): Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country. 31. to bear to a man; deliver (fol. by an indirect object): She gave him a beautiful baby boy. 32. to sire upon a woman; father (fol. by an indirect object): He gave her two children in four years. 33. to concede or grant, as a point in an argument. v.i. 34. to make a gift or gifts; contribute: to give to the United Way. 35. to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise: Each side must give on some points. 36. to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc.: A horsehair mattress doesn’t give much. 37. to collapse; break down; fall apart: The old chair gave when I sat on it. 38. to be warm and open in relationships with others: a withdrawn person who doesn’t know how to give. 39. Informal. to divulge information: Okay now, give! What happened? 40. to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead (usu. fol. by on, onto, etc.): This door gives onto the hallway. 41. give away, a. to give as a present; bestow. b. to present (the bride) to the bridegroom in a marriage ceremony. c. to disclose, betray, or expose. 42. give back, to return (something), as to the owner; restore. 43. give in, a. to acknowledge defeat; yield. b. to hand in; deliver: to give in one’s timecard. 44. give of, to devote or contribute generously of: to give of oneself. 45. give off, to put forth; emit: The gardenia gives off a strong fragrance. 46. give out, a. to send out; emit. b. to make public; announce. c. to distribute; issue. d. to become exhausted or used up. 47. give over, a. to put into the care or custody of; transfer. b. to submit fully: She gave herself over to tears. c. to devote to a specified activity: The day was given over to relaxing. d. to cease; stop: to give over complaining. 48. give up, a. to abandon hope; despair. b. to desist from; renounce: to give up smoking. c. to surrender; relinquish. d. to devote (oneself) entirely to. n. 49. the quality or state of being resilient; springiness. Idioms: 1. give it to, Informal. to reprimand or punish. 2. give or take, plus or minus a specified amount; more or less. [before 900; Middle English given (with g- Give is a very common verb that has several meanings. Its past tense is gave. Its -ed participle is given.Give usually takes an indirect object. For some meanings of give, the indirect object must go in front of the direct object. For other meanings, it can go either in front of the direct object or after it.Give is often used to describe physical actions. When you use give like this, put the indirect object in front of the direct object. For example, say ‘He gave the ball a kick’. Don’t say ‘He gave a kick to the ball’.Give is also used to describe expressions and gestures. When give is used like this, the indirect object goes in front of the direct object.You can also use give to describe an effect produced by someone or something. Again, the indirect object goes in front of the direct object.If you give someone something, you offer it to them and they take it. When you use give like this, the indirect object can go either in front of the direct object or after it. When you put the direct object first, you put to in front of the indirect object.However, when the direct object is a pronoun such as it or them and the indirect object is not a pronoun, you must put the direct object first. Say ‘He gave it to his father’. Don’t say ‘He gave his father it’.You also say that you give someone information, advice, a warning, or an order. When give is used like this, the indirect object can go either in front of the direct object or after it.If you offer something to someone, you ask them if they would like to have it or use it.If you put something in someone’s hand expecting them to take it, and they do take it, don’t say that you ‘offer’ it to them. You say that you give it to them.If you offer to do something, you say that you are willing to do it.If someone asks you to do something that they think you will want to do, don’t say that they ‘offer’ you to do it. You say that they invite you to do it.