v.tr.1. To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.
2. To place in the hands of; pass: Give me the scissors.
3. a. To deliver in exchange or recompense; pay: gave five dollars for the book.
b. To let go for a price; sell: gave the used car away for two thousand dollars.
4. a. To administer: give him some cough medicine.
b. To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.
c. To inflict as punishment: gave the child a spanking; was given life imprisonment for the crime.
d. Law To accord by verdict: A decision was given for the plaintiff.
5. a. To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
b. To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
c. To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
d. To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
e. To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
f. Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
6. a. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
b. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
c. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
d. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
7. a. To allot as a portion or share.
b. To bestow (a name, for example).
c. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
d. To award as due: gave us first prize.
8. To emit or utter: gave a groan; gave a muted response.
9. To submit for consideration, acceptance, or use: give an opinion; give an excuse.
10. a. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
b. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
11. a. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
b. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
12. a. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
b. To propose as a toast.
13. a. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
b. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
c. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
14. a. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
b. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
c. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
15. a. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
b. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
16. To permit one to have or take: gave us an hour to finish.
17. To take an interest to the extent of: "My dear, I don't give a damn" (Margaret Mitchell).
v.intr.1. To make gifts or donations: gives generously to charity.
2. a. To yield to physical force.
b. To collapse from force or pressure: The roof gave under the weight of the snow.
c. To yield to change: Both sides will have to give on some issues.
3. To afford access or a view; open: The doors give onto a terrace.
4. Slang To be in progress; happen: What gives?
give out1. To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.
2. To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.
3. To distribute: gave out the surplus food.
4. To stop functioning; fail.
5. To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out.
give up1. a. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
b. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
2. a. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
b. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
3. To part with; relinquish: gave up the apartment; gave up all hope.
4. a. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
b. To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
5. To admit defeat.
6. To abandon what one is doing or planning to do: gave up on writing the novel.