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

But virtually impossible to see a scenario without US support where Ukraine doesn't have to give up some territory to Russia to reach a ceasefire. —Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

Musk may have given up on fighting for the licenses, instead teaming up with Trump to potentially eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which monitors the traditional sort of money transmitter activities that currently seem just out of Musk's reach. —Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025

The Hurricanes gave up the second-most plays of 10 or more yards last season and were among the worst in the nation at surrendering plays of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 or more yards. —Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025

Market moves: In Wednesday afternoon trading, the S & P 500 gave up its earlier gains. —Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum,paulina Likos, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for give up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

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