Definition of 'give'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense gives
, present participle giving
, past tense gave
, past participle given
1. verb [no cont]
You can use give with nouns that refer to physical actions. The whole expression refers to the performing
of the action. For example, She gave a smile means almost the same as 'She smiled'.
2. verb
3. verb
4. verb
You use give to say how long you think something will last or how much you think something will be.
5. verb [no cont, no passive]
People use give in expressions such as I don't give a damn to show that they do not care about something.
[informal, feelings] 6. verb
If someone or something gives you a particular idea or impression, it causes you to have that idea or impression.
7. verb
If someone or something gives you a particular physical or emotional feeling, it makes you experience it.
It will give great pleasure to the many thousands of children who visit the hospital
each year. [VERB noun + to]
[Also VERB noun] 9. verb
If you give something thought or attention, you think about it, concentrate on it, or deal with it.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense gives
, present participle giving
, past tense gave
, past participle given
1. verb
If you give someone something that you own or have bought, you provide them with it, so that
they have it or can use it.
2. verb
If you give someone something that you are holding or that is near you, you pass it to them,
so that they are then holding it.
3. verb
To give someone or something a particular power or right means to allow them to have it.
The draft would give the president the power to appoint the central bank's chairman. [VERB noun noun]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense gives
, present participle giving
, past tense gave
, past participle given
1. verb
2. passive verb
You say that you are given to understand or believe that something is the case when you do not want to say how you found out about it, or who told you.
[formal, vagueness]
He has been given to believe that there may be a future for him and Maria together. [be VERB-ed to-infinitive]
3. See also given
4.
5.
6.
See give me
7.
See give and take
8.
See give or take
9.
10.
See give it up for
14. to give notice
15. to give rise to
16. to give way
Phrasal verbs:
See give away
See give back
See give in
See give off
See give out
See give over
See give over to
See give up
See give up on
See give up to
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
You may also like
Word Frequency
give in British English
verbWord forms: gives, giving, gave (ɡeɪv
), given (ˈɡɪvən
) (mainly tr)
1. (also intr)
to present or deliver voluntarily (something that is one's own) to the permanent possession of another or others
2. (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
5.
to administer
to give a reprimand
7.
to be a source of
he gives no trouble
9.
to utter or emit
to give a shout
10.
to perform, make, or do
the car gave a jolt and stopped
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
19. (intransitive)
to yield or break under force or pressure
this surface will give if you sit on it
his courage will never give
20. See give as good as one gets
22. See give birth
23. See give a person five
24. See give ground
25. See give me
26. See give someone one
27. See give or take
28. See give rise to
29. See give it up for someone
30. See give way
31. See give a person what for
noun
32.
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
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
givable (ˈgivable) or giveable (ˈgiveable) adjective
giver (ˈgiver)
noun
Word origin
Old English giefan; related to Old Norse gefa, Gothic giban, Old High German geban, Swedish givaWord Frequency
give in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: gave, ˈgiven, ˈgiving
1.
to turn over the possession or control of to someone without cost or exchange; make
a gift of
2.
to hand or pass over into the trust or keeping of someone
to give the porter a bag to carry, to give a daughter in marriage
3.
to hand or pass over in exchange for something else; sell (goods, services, etc.)
for a price or pay (a price) for goods, services, etc.
5.
to produce in a person or thing; cause to have; impart
to give pleasure, to give someone a cold
6.
to confer or assign (a title, position, name, etc.)
8. US
to put in communication with, as by telephone
9.
to be the source, origin, or cause of; produce; supply
cows give milk
10.
a.
to part with for some cause; sacrifice
to give one's life for a cause
11.
to concede; yield
to give a point in an argument
12.
to offer or yield (oneself) to a man for sexual intercourse
13.
to show; exhibit
to give every indication of being a fool
15.
a.
to perform
to give a concert
b.
to introduce or present (a speaker, the subject of a toast, etc.)
17.
to perform (a physical act)
to give someone a hug, kiss, etc.
18.
to administer or dispense (medicine, etc.)
19.
to utter, emit, or produce (words, sounds, etc.); put in words; state
to give a reply
verb intransitive
21.
to make gifts or donations; contribute
22.
to bend, sink, move, break down, yield, etc. from force or pressure
24.
to provide a view of, or a way of getting to, someplace; open
usually with on, upon, or onto the window gives on the park
25. Informal
to occur; happen
: chiefly in the phrase what gives? noun
27.
a bending, moving, sinking, etc. under pressure
28.
a tendency to be springy; resilience
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE: give is the general word meaning to transfer from one's own possession to that of another; grant implies that there has been a request or an expressed desire for the thing given
[to grant a favor]; present implies a certain formality in the giving and often connotes considerable value in
the gift [he presented the school with a library]; donate is used especially of a giving to some philanthropic or religious cause; bestow stresses that the thing is given gratuitously and often implies condescension in
the giver [to bestow charity upon the poor]; confer implies that the giver is a superior and that the thing given is an honor, privilege,
etc. [to confer a title, a college degree, etc.]Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME given (with g- < ON gefa, to give), yeven < OE giefan, akin to Ger geben < IE base *ghabh-, to grasp, take > L habere, to have: the special Gmc sense of this base results from its use as a substitute
for IE *dō- (as in L dare, to give)
Word Frequency
give in American English
(ɡɪv) (verb gave, given, giving)
transitive verb
1.
to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow
to give a birthday present to someone
2.
to hand to someone
Give me that plate, please
3.
to place in someone's care
If you give me your coat, I'll put it in the closet
5.
to impart or communicate
to give advice
to give a cold to someone
7.
to pay or transfer possession to another in exchange for something
They gave five dollars for the picture
He gave me the car for $1500
8.
to furnish, provide, or proffer
to give evidence
Let me give you my umbrella before you go out in this rain
9.
to provide as an entertainment or social function
to give a New Year's Eve party
10.
to deal or administer
to give a blow to someone
to give medicine to a patient
11.
to put forth, emit, or utter; issue
to give a cry
to give a command
12.
to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usually used passively)
These facts being given, the argument makes sense
14.
to make, do, or perform
to give a start
to give a lurch
16. (usually fol. by an infinitive)
to cause; be responsible for
They gave me to understand that you would be there
17.
to care about something to the value or extent of (something fanciful)
I don't give a hoot about his opinion
19.
to convey or transmit
Give Aunt Betty my love
21.
to bestow (the object of one's choice) upon, as if by providence
Give me the wide open spaces anytime
23.
to present to an audience, as an entertainer, speaker, or act
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas
24.
to attribute or ascribe
to give the devil his due
After long study the critic gave the unsigned work to a minor impressionist
28.
to inflict as a punishment on another; punish by; impose a sentence of
The judge gave him five years
30. (fol. by an indirect object)
to propose as the subject of a toast
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country
31. (fol. by an indirect object)
to bear to a man; deliver
She gave him a beautiful baby boy
32. (fol. by an indirect object)
to sire upon a woman; father
He gave her two children in the first five years of marriage
33.
to concede or grant, as a point in an argument
intransitive verb
34.
to make a gift or gifts; contribute
to give to a charity
35.
to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise
We can't negotiate until each side is willing to give on some points
36.
to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc
A horsehair mattress doesn't give much
38.
to be warm and open in relationships with other persons
a withdrawn person who doesn't know how to give
40. (usually fol. by on, onto, etc.)
to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead
The window gives on the sea
This door gives onto the hallway
41. See give and take
42. See give away
43. See give back
44. See give battle
45. See give birth to
46. See give ground
47. See give in
48. See give it to
49. See give of
50. See give off
51. See give or take
52. See give out
53. See give over
54. See give rise to
55. See give up
56. See give way
noun
SYNONYMS 1. offer, vouchsafe, impart, accord, furnish, provide, supply, donate, contribute.
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. 18. cede, yield.ANTONYMS 1. receive.57.
the quality or state of being resilient; springiness
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
givable or giveableadjective or noun
givee
noun
giver
noun
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME ‹ ON gefa (cf. Dan give); r. ME yeven, yiven, OE gefan, giefan; c. D geven, G geben, Goth giban]Examples of 'give' in a sentence
give
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Quotations
It is more blessed to give than to receive Bible: Acts
Trends of
give
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In other languages
give
British English: give
/ɡɪv/ VERB
If you give someone something, you let them have it to keep.
We always give our mother flowers on her birthday.
- American English: give /ˈgɪv/
- Arabic: يُعْطِي
- Brazilian Portuguese: dar
- Chinese: 给
- Croatian: dati
- Czech: dát
- Danish: give
- Dutch: geven
- European Spanish: dar
- Finnish: antaa
- French: donner
- German: geben
- Greek: δίνω
- Italian: dare
- Japanese: 与える
- Korean: ...에게 ...을 주다
- Norwegian: gi
- Polish: dać
- European Portuguese: dar
- Romanian: a da
- Russian: давать
- Latin American Spanish: dar
- Swedish: ge
- Thai: ให้
- Turkish: vermek
- Ukrainian: давати
- Vietnamese: cho
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give
Source
Definition of give from the Collins English Dictionary
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