give

English

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Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English given, from Old Norse gefa (“to give”), from Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰ- (“to take, hold, have”). Displaced or merged with native Middle English yiven, ȝeven, from Old English ġiefan, from the same Proto-Germanic source (cf. the inherited now obsolete English doublet yive). Cognate with Scots gie (“to give”), Danish give (“to give”), Swedish giva, ge (“to give”), Icelandic gefa (“to give”), North Frisian jiw, jiiw, jeewe (“to give”), West Frisian jaan (“to give”), Low German geven (“to give”), Dutch geven (“to give”), German geben (“to give”), Latin habeō (“have, hold”), Old Irish gaibim (“I hold”), Lithuanian gabenti (“to carry, transport”), Polish gabać (“to grab, snatch”), Sanskrit  (gabhasti, “hand”).

Verb

give (third-person singular simple present gives, present participle giving, simple past gave, past participle given)

  1. (transitive, may take two objects) To transfer one's possession or holding of (something) to (someone).
    I gave him my coat.
    I gave my coat to the beggar.
    When they asked, I gave my coat.
  2. (transitive, may take two objects) To make a present or gift of.
    I'm going to give my wife a necklace for her birthday.
    She gave a pair of shoes to her husband for their anniversary.
    He gives of his energies to the organization.
  3. (intransitive) To yield slightly when a force is applied.
    • 1992 May 24, Garry Wills, “prologue”, in Lincoln at Gettysburg, page 21:
      A soldier noticed how earth "gave" as he walked over the shallow trenches.
  4. (transitive, may take two objects) To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something).
    I give it ten minutes before he gives up.
    I give it a 95% chance of success.
    I'll give their marriage six months.
  5. (intransitive) To collapse under pressure or force.
    One pillar gave, then more, and suddenly the whole floor pancaked onto the floor below.
  6. (transitive) To provide, as, a service or a broadcast.
    They're giving my favorite show!
    • 2003, Iain Aitken, Value-Driven IT Management: Commercializing the IT Function, page 153
      [...] who did not have a culture in which 'giving good presentation' and successfully playing the internal political game was the way up.
    • 2006, Christopher Matthew Spencer The Ebay Entrepreneur, page 248
      A friendly voice on the phone welcoming prospective new clients is a must. Don't underestimate the importance of giving good "phone".
  7. (intransitive) To lead (onto or into).
    The master bedroom gives onto a spacious balcony.
  8. To pledge.
    I gave my word that I'd protect his children.
  9. (transitive, may take two objects) To provide (something) to (someone), to allow or afford.
    I gave them permission to miss tomorrow's class.
    Give me some more time.
  10. (transitive, may take two objects) To cause (a sensation or feeling) to exist in.
    It gives me a lot of pleasure to be here tonight.
    The fence gave me an electric shock.
    My mother-in-law gives me nothing but grief.
  11. (transitive, may take two objects) To carry out (a physical interaction) with (something).
    I want to give you a kiss.
    She gave him a hug.
    I'd like to give the tire a kick.
    I gave the boy a push on the swing.
    She gave me a wink afterwards, so I knew she was joking.
  12. (transitive, may take two objects) To pass (something) into (someone's) hand or the like.
    Give me your hand.
    On entering the house, he gave his coat to the doorman.
  13. (transitive, may take two objects) To cause (a disease or condition) in, or to transmit (a disease or condition) to.
    My boyfriend gave me chlamydia.
    He was convinced that it was his alcoholism that gave him cancer.
  14. This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    What gives?

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (transfer possession of): get, obtain, receive, take
  • (bend slightly when a force is applied): not bend/cede/flex/give/move/yield, resist

Derived terms

See also given, giver and giving

Terms derived from give

Translations

transfer the possession of something to someone else
bend slightly when a force is applied
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

give (uncountable)

  1. (uncountable) The amount of bending that something undergoes when a force is applied to it.
    This chair doesn't have much give.

Statistics

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Danish

Alternative forms

  • gi' (representing the spoken language)

Etymology

From Old Norse gefa, from Proto-Germanic *gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰab(ʰ)-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡiː/, /ɡiːvɐ/, [ˈɡ̊iːˀ], [ˈɡ̊iːʋɐ]
  • Rhymes: -iː, -iːvɐ

Verb

give (imperative giv, infinitive at give, present tense giver, past tense gav, past participle har givet)

  1. give
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Last modified on 20 May 2013, at 18:02