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

Detroit needs an infielder and sending $200 million to Bregman would be the front office's perfect apology to the fanbase after giving up on the team last season. —Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024

The Bills have given up an average of 35.7 points in the last three games. —Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024

The Ducks gave up five yards, but four seconds ran off the clock and the Buckeyes quickly ran out of time to score. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Banks, venture capital and private equity options frequently come with high-interest rates, rigid repayment terms or the requirement to give up precious ownership. —Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

12th 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