give

verb

ˈgiv How to pronounce give (audio)
Definition of givenext
1
as in to donate
to make a present of thanked all the tutors who generously gave their time to help students after school

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to leave
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another gave my camera to my father to hold while I went swimming

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3
as in to offer
to bring before the public in performance or exhibition the author will give a reading from her latest work at 7:00 p.m.

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4
as in to collapse
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure they loaded the shopping cart with so much food it gave under all the weight

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5
as in to pay
to hand over or use up in payment I wouldn't give a nickel for such a run-down car

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6
as in to express
to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion) she gave her opinion on the matter very firmly and unmistakably

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7
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention totally gave himself to his studies in the hopes of winning a scholarship for next year

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8
as in to yield
to produce as revenue a company that consistently gives $30 million in profits to the owner

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9
as in to provide
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption gave him my e-mail address

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10
as in to run by
to put before another for acceptance or consideration she gave the committee her grant proposal

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11
as in to transmit
to cause (something) to pass from one to another she gave her cold to me, and now I'm so sick that I can barely get out of bed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb give contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of give are afford, bestow, confer, donate, and present. While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

give alms
gave her a ride on a pony
give my love to your mother

When is it sensible to use afford instead of give?

Although the words afford and give have much in common, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

the trees afford shade
a development that affords us some hope

When can bestow be used instead of give?

While the synonyms bestow and give are close in meaning, bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

bestow unwanted advice

When is confer a more appropriate choice than give?

While in some cases nearly identical to give, confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

confer an honorary degree

In what contexts can donate take the place of give?

The synonyms donate and give are sometimes interchangeable, but donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

donate a piano to the orphanage

When might present be a better fit than give?

The meanings of present and give largely overlap; however, present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

present an award

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of give Plenty even gave me their own kitty stories too. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025 The scholarships will be given based on the community service, grade point average and financial need of the applicant. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025 Some journalists who cover the Capitol have given Thune the nickname Hot Grandpa. —David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025 But state lawmakers have been looking for ways to give citizens and communities more of a voice in the decisions, and are focusing efforts this spring on Senate Bill 78. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for give
Recent Examples of Synonyms for give
  1. donate
  2. leave
  3. offer
  4. collapse
  5. pay
  6. express
  7. devote
  8. yield
Verb
  • For two decades after graduating from Harvard, Samuel Graham-Felsen never donated to his alma mater.
    — Vimal Patel, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Resting at auction and donate the proceeds to the organization.
    — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of donate
Verb
  • The department did not say how much money is left of the total $189 billion approved.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • With few options left, Adam begins considering and concocting ways to enact vengeance, but Basem, having been down that rageful path, advises him otherwise.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of leave
Verb
  • Brentford offered lots of options for this exercise and Keane Lewis-Potter solved some problems at left-back.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • All offers end April 30 (each can only be used once and offers do not stack).
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of offer
Verb
  • The quake also caused a skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand, to collapse.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Dramatic videos show buildings collapsing and swaying in Thailand. 4:09 A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, resulting in mounting casualties and flattened skyscrapers from Myanmar to Thailand.
    — Mark Osborne, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Still, the union is contending with a decrease in the share of workers who are willing to pay dues.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Werner heard that one of her scholarships—which had been administered by the center—was being eliminated, sending her into a panic about how to pay for school.
    — Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of pay
Verb
  • After catching wind of Rock’s new love interest, Saffold took to social media to weigh in on the pairing, beginning her comments with what some took as a hint of shade before appearing to express her approval of Rock dating Newton.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Booker expressed just as much after the Suns suffered a 38-point loss to Golden State on Tuesday.
    — Shane Young, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of express
Verb
  • The organization devoted a team to research fan sections across college sports, European leagues and around the world, which eventually led to the concept for The Wall.
    — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The store also devoted four windows on Fifth Avenue to the collection, which will remain through April 30.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of devote
Verb
  • That yielded a partial match, and investigators completed a family tree and identified their suspect, police said.
    — Sara Schilling, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
  • There is a problem in our understanding of universal expansion; different methods for measuring the rate of expansion yield different results.
    — Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Definition of yield

Phrases Containing give

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gits
give
give a hang
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Cite this Entry

“Give.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/give. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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