# give

Pronunciation: say "GIV" /ɡɪv/

## Verb

1. To hand something over to someone, or pass it into their possession or keeping.
   - Simple: To put something into someone's hands or let them have it.
   - _If you give the dealer your old car, they'll take two thousand off the price._
   - _In the divorce, she gave the house to her husband and kept the savings._
2. To provide, allow, or afford something, including administering a medicine or treatment.
   - Simple: To let someone have something they need, such as a chance, time, or a medicine.
   - _The judge gave him one more chance._
   - _Can you give me a hand with this?_
3. To cause someone to have or feel something, such as an advantage, an idea, a pain, or an emotion.
   - Simple: To make someone have or feel something, like a chance, a headache, or a fright.
   - _The extra day gave us a real advantage._
   - _That book will give you a new way of seeing._
4. To attribute, assign or adjudge something to someone.
   - Simple: To say that something belongs to someone or is true of them.
   - _Most scholars give the poem to an anonymous monk._
   - _The umpire gave the batsman out, caught behind the wicket._
5. To present something to someone as a gift.
   - Simple: To hand something to someone as a present.
   - _What did you give your mother for Christmas?_
   - _They gave generously to the appeal._
6. To announce, pronounce, or utter something such as an opinion or judgment.
   - Simple: To announce or say out loud a decision or opinion.
   - _He gave the news to the family himself._
   - _Let the crowd give a great shout._
7. To perform a physical act on someone or something, with the act as object.
   - Simple: To do a physical action to someone or something.
   - _She gave the door a shove._
   - _Give the old man a pat on the back from me._
8. To grant power, permission, or destiny; to allot. *(literary)*
   - Simple: To allow someone the power or right to do something, or a certain fate.
9. To provide something as a service or a broadcast.
   - Simple: To put on a show or a service for people.
   - _The theater gives two performances on Saturdays._
   - _The professor will give a free public lecture on Monday._
10. To yield as a result or product.
   - Simple: To produce something as a result.
   - _The experiment gave the same reading every time._
   - _Boiling the mixture will give a clear liquid._
13. To yield, bend or collapse under force.
   - Simple: To bend or break under weight or pressure.
   - _Press hard and the panel will give a little._
   - _The rope held for a moment and then gave._
11. To devote or apply oneself to something, or, in the passive, to be inclined to it.
   - Simple: To put yourself fully into something, or to have a habit of doing it.
   - _Few people give themselves entirely to the work._
   - _He is given to long silences._
15. To concede or allow something for the sake of argument.
   - Simple: To admit that a point is fair or true.
   - _I'll give you that the plan was clever._
   - _The plan is bold, I'll give you that much, but it costs too much._
16. To estimate a duration or a probability for something.
   - Simple: To guess how long something will last or how likely it is.
   - _The doctors gave him a year at most._
   - _I'd give the plan a one in three chance._
17. To cause or transmit a disease or condition.
   - Simple: To pass an illness to someone, or to cause a health problem.
   - _The whole class gave each other the flu._
   - _Standing all day can give you back trouble._
18. To project a vibe or appearance; to resemble in style. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have a certain look or style that reminds people of something.
   - _The new logo is giving bank, not startup._
   - _That black coat is giving villain, and I love it._
19. Of a door, window, or way, to lead or open onto a place.
   - Simple: To open onto a place or lead to it, used about a door, window or path.
   - _The French windows give onto the garden._
   - _A narrow passage gives onto the main road just past the farm._
21. To pledge or solemnly promise something.
   - Simple: To make a serious promise to someone.
   - _He gave his word and kept it._
   - _Never give a promise you can't keep._
22. In the formula I give you..., to present someone to an audience, or to propose them as the subject of a toast.
   - Simple: Used in I give you... to introduce a person to a crowd, or to ask people to drink to them.
   - _And now, I give you the winner of this year's prize._
   - _The host announced with a flourish, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the band!"_
23. With an infinitive, to cause or make someone do something.
   - Simple: To make or cause someone to do something, followed by 'to' and a verb.
   - _I was given to believe the house was sold._
   - _The minister's words were meant to give the public to understand that taxes would rise._
12. To act as host of a social occasion, for example a dinner, a party, or a reception.
   - Simple: To be the host of a party or other social event.
   - _The couple plan to give a small dinner for their closest friends after the wedding._
   - _The ambassador gave a reception for the visiting trade delegation._

## Noun

14. The amount something bends under force; its springiness or willingness to yield.
   - Simple: How much something bends when you press it, or how willing someone is to give way.
   - _A good running track has some give in it._
   - _You need a bit of give in a negotiation._

## Verb

20. To provide a view of. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To have a view of a place, used about a window or room.
24. To become soft or moist. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To turn soft or a little wet.
25. To shed tears; to weep. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To cry, with tears running from the eyes.
26. To have a foreboding; to suspect. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To have a bad feeling that something is wrong.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An alternative form of gyve, a fetter or shackle, especially for the legs: a give on each ankle.

## Origin

From Middle English given, a merger of Old English ġiefan and Old Norse gefa, both meaning 'to give' and both from Proto-Germanic *gebaną. Norse influence displaced the native Middle English form yive.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/give (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).