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

Over the summer, Selzer’s polling showed Trump running eighteen points ahead of President Biden, and, like almost everyone else, Robinson had given up on a Democrat winning the state, despite her friend former President Obama doing so twice, barely more than a decade ago. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Bernstein thinks investors should not give up on eBay despite a recent sell-off. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Observers say Bhutan’s rhetoric on this issue has become increasingly opaque in recent years, and some wonder whether the kingdom’s muted comments are because it’s already reached a tacit understanding with China to give up some territorial claims. —Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

But according to International Living, obtaining a visa doesn’t mean giving up your U.S. citizenship. —Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes, 5 Nov. 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