giving

Pluralgivings (some meanings)

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of give.

   The volunteers are giving their weekends to help rebuild homes.

   Giving generously, she donated half her savings to the shelter.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs. In a participle clause it adds a result, as in sprayed with ink, thus giving them an even surface. As a gerund it names the act itself while keeping its objects. The same spelling also works as a gradable adjective (more giving, most giving; see the "generous" adjective) and as a countable noun with the plural givings.

2. 2
   adjective

   Generous by nature; inclined to share time, money, or care with others.

   He has a giving spirit and volunteers at the food bank every weekend.

   Their giving nature made every newcomer feel welcome.

   Similargenerous, charitable, unselfish, kind

   Oppositeselfish, stingy, mean

   Note

   An adjective that grades like any other, more giving and most giving, and that describes a person's nature rather than a single act. It pairs naturally with loving, as in a loving and giving person, where both words name a settled disposition toward others rather than a moment of generosity.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The act of bestowing something as a gift; the conferring or imparting of something from one person to another.

   The giving of awards brought the long ceremony to a close.

   Charitable giving rose sharply during the crisis.

   Similarpresentation, bestowal, donation

4. 4
   nouncountable

   A gift; something bestowed on another as a benefaction or kindness.

   The museum's new wing was funded by a single giving from a wealthy patron.

   Each giving to the foundation is recorded and acknowledged by name.

   Similargift, donation, contribution

   Note

   Unlike the act of giving, this sense counts. You can have one giving or many givings. Alexander Pope uses the plural in 1717, setting it against gains: "his gains were sure, His givings rare." That pairing shows the noun at its most natural, naming what a person hands out as opposed to what they take in.

5. 5
   verbslangtransitive

   To project a particular vibe, mood, or aesthetic, as if putting it on display.

   That outfit is giving effortless old-Hollywood glamour.

   The new album cover is giving bold retro futurism.

   Similarchanneling, serving

   Note

   Slang built on give off with the off dropped, and usually framed as it's giving or this is giving. The complement can be a noun phrase (summer and margaritas) or a quoted adjective ("desperate"). The verdict can be praise or a jab. It belongs to texting, comments and casual talk. In formal writing, evokes or suggests does the same work.

6. 6
   verbslangintransitive

   To look or feel strikingly impressive or stylish, used on its own as a statement of approval.

   The moment the lights came up, the whole set was giving.

   Honestly, that final performance was giving.

   Similarslaying, serving

   Note

   Slang praise that simply stops: the object of the "giving off a vibe" use drops away, so "it's giving glamour" becomes "it's giving!" It turns up most often in talk about outfits, nails and hair, and by 2022 fashion and beauty headlines were using it as a ready-made verdict. Keep it to casual, chatty registers. In formal writing it reads as a deliberate borrowing from social-media speech.

7. 7
   noununcountable

   The act of softening, breaking, or yielding under force, pressure, or strain.

   The sudden giving of the rope sent the crates crashing down.

   Engineers measured the giving of the beam as the load increased.

   Similaryielding, failure

   Note

   The noun for things that yield rather than things that are handed over: a rope that slips, a beam that bends under load. Isaac Bickerstaff writes in 1710 of "the first giving of the weather," where it is the weather itself that begins to soften. Context usually separates this sense from the gift meanings, since its subject is a material or force under strain.

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