1
a
: particular, specified
at a given time
b
: assumed as actual or hypothetical : granted
given that all are equal before the law
3
: presented as a gift : bestowed without compensation
4
of an official document
: having been executed : dated
5
: immediately present in experience
: 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.
: in view of : considering
Given what she knew about others' lives, how could she complain about her own?—
Marilyn French
Marilyn FrenchSynonyms
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
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
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024
My parents came over to the U.S. from Ireland in 1959 and education and hard work were just givens.
—Ayesha Javed, TIME, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for given 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
About the only givens seemingly would be Bam Adebayo making first-team All-Defense for the first time, after second-team such nods the past four seasons, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. making first-team All-Rookie.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024
My parents came over to the U.S. from Ireland in 1959 and education and hard work were just givens.
—Ayesha Javed, TIME, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for given
Dictionary Entries Near given
Cite this Entry
“Given.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/given. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
given
1 of 2 adjective
giv·en
ˈgiv-ən 
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share