given

1 of 3

adjective

giv·​en ˈgi-vən How to pronounce given (audio)
1
a
: particular, specified
at a given time
b
: assumed as actual or hypothetical : granted
given that all are equal before the law
2
: prone, disposed
given to swearing
3
: presented as a gift : bestowed without compensation
4
of an official document : having been executed : dated
5
: immediately present in experience

given

2 of 3

noun

: something given
especially : something taken for granted : a basic condition or assumption
It is a given that we are in an age of relentless competition.

given

3 of 3

preposition

: in view of : considering
Given what she knew about others' lives, how could she complain about her own?Marilyn French

Examples of given in a Sentence

Adjective a quiet man not given to loud expressions of emotion candidates for the quiz show must complete the qualifying test within a given amount of time Noun In our system it is a given that all are equal before the law. it's a given that television viewers are influenced by advertising, even consciously or subconsciously
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Bing, for its part, went off the rails early on, prompting Microsoft to scale back both its personality and the number of questions users could ask it in a given conversation. Will Oremus, Washington Post, 5 June 2023 At any given moment, 2 million to 10 million Ukrainians have been living in freezing temperatures without electricity. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2022
Noun
Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor feel like givens, and Oppenheimer should challenge in Actor, Adapted Screenplay, and a bunch of craft categories, too. Nate Jones, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2024 Such an error would skew the data, in which case the BAO measurements and Euclid’s weak gravitational lensing results will diverge, and cosmologists will need to rethink their givens. Richard Panek, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for given 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'given.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English yiven, given "presented as a gift, freely bestowed," from past participle of given "to give entry 1"

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Preposition

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of given was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near given

Cite this Entry

“Given.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/given. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

given

1 of 2 adjective
giv·​en ˈgiv-ən How to pronounce given (audio)
1
: prone sense 1
given to gossiping
2
: fixed sense 1b, particular
at a given time
3
: granted as true
given that we are all equal

given

2 of 2 noun
: something taken for granted : a basic condition or assumption

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