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

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
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.
Tom gave up just one sack in 489 offensive snaps in 2022 and finished with a grade of 68.3 from Pro Football Focus. Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025 Holman didn’t allow a run after giving up a pair in each of his previous two outings in Toronto. Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025 Megill held Dodgers scoreless over the next five innings, retiring the next eight straight hitters before giving up a double to Andy Pages, then retiring the next seven. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 4 June 2025 But nature doesn’t just give up and, like her, neither does man and his ambiguous existence. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for give up

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of give up was in the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Give up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

give up

verb
1
2
: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity
3

More from Merriam-Webster on give up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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