give up

verb

gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

transitive verb

1

: to yield control or possession of : surrender

forced to give up his job

2

: to desist from : abandon

refused to give up her efforts

3

: to declare incurable or insoluble

4

a

: to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity

gave himself up to despair

b

: to devote to a particular purpose or use

5

: to despair of seeing

we'd given you up

6

: to allow (a hit or run in baseball) while pitching

intransitive verb

: to cease doing or attempting something especially as an admission of defeat : quit

—often used with on

don't give up on the project

Phrases

give up the ghost

: to cease to live or function : die

Synonyms

• cede
• cough up
• deliver
• hand over
• lay down
• relinquish
• render
• surrender
• turn in
• turn over
• yield

Examples of give up in a Sentence

was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment

I hope you won't give up playing the piano.

Recent Examples on the Web

The gangly lefty gave up his first hit with two outs in the third, worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth and stranded two more in the sixth. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2024

In the fifth, Buehler gave up a one-out single to Leody Tavers before Marcus Semien reached base on a fielding error by new arrival Cavan Biggio. —Doug Padilla, Orange County Register, 12 June 2024

Frustrated by the lack of resolution, Stanbury gives up and makes her way out of the party, leaving the rest of the cast to deal with Brooks’ emotional volatility. —Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 11 June 2024

The Salt Lake City resident, her husband and two young kids gave up on finding the free shuttle that would take them to the rental car area after asking about 10 people for directions. —Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

give up

verb

1

: surrender entry 1 sense 1

2

: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity

3

: stop entry 1 sense 7a