What does "give" mean?
The amount of bending that something undergoes when a force is applied to it; a tendency to yield under pressure; resilience.
Give
/ɡɪv/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The amount of bending that something undergoes when a force is applied to it; a tendency to yield under pressure; resilience.
- Grammar: give is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: grant, hand, present, contribute.
- Useful contrasts: begrudging, borrowed books, joint stiffness.
- Usage evidence: I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How to use "give"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "give" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "give" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "give" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "give" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "give" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "give", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The amount of bending that something undergoes when a force is applied to it; a tendency to yield under pressure; resilience. uncountable
"This chair doesn't have much give."
- 2 Alternative form of gyve. alt-of, alternative
- 3 the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length wordnet
Verb
- 1 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To transfer one's possession or holding of (something) to (someone). ditransitive
"I gave him my coat."
- 2 proffer (a body part) wordnet
- 3 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To make a present or gift of. ditransitive
"I'm going to give my wife a necklace for her birthday."
- 4 consent to engage in sexual intercourse with a man wordnet
- 5 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To pledge. ditransitive
"I gave him my word that I'd protect his children."
Show 66 more definitions
- 6 occur wordnet
- 7 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To provide (something) to (someone), to allow or afford. ditransitive
"I gave them permission to miss tomorrow's class."
- 8 estimate the duration or outcome of something wordnet
- 9 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To cause (a sensation or feeling) to exist in (the specified person, or the target, audience, etc). ditransitive
"It gives me a lot of pleasure to be here tonight."
- 10 dedicate wordnet
- 11 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To give off (a certain vibe or appearance). (Compare giving.) ditransitive, slang, transitive
"it's giving old Hollywood (vibes)"
- 12 inflict as a punishment wordnet
- 13 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To carry out (a physical interaction) with (something). ditransitive
"I want to give you a kiss and a hug."
- 14 allow to have or take wordnet
- 15 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To pass (something) into (someone's hand, etc.). ditransitive
"Give me your hand."
- 16 guide or direct, as by behavior of persuasion wordnet
- 17 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To cause (a disease or condition) in, or to transmit (a disease or condition) to. ditransitive
"My boyfriend gave me chlamydia."
- 18 submit for consideration, judgment, or use wordnet
- 19 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To provide or administer (a medication) ditransitive
"The doctors gave me morphine for the pain."
- 20 give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause wordnet
- 21 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To present someone to an audience. ditransitive
"Playing for us tonight, I give you The Beatles!"
- 22 offer in good faith wordnet
- 23 To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.; To propose someone for a toast, used in standard formulations for toasts. ditransitive
"On this happy evening, I give you the bride and groom!"
- 24 manifest or show wordnet
- 25 To provide, as, a service or a broadcast. transitive
"They're giving my favorite show!"
- 26 convey or communicate; of a smile, a look, a physical gesture wordnet
- 27 To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something). ditransitive
"I give it ten minutes before he gives up."
- 28 convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow wordnet
- 29 To yield or collapse under pressure or force. intransitive
"One pillar gave, then more, and suddenly the whole floor pancaked onto the floor below."
- 30 bestow wordnet
- 31 To lead (onto or into). intransitive
"The master bedroom gives onto a spacious balcony."
- 32 accord by verdict wordnet
- 33 To provide a view of. dated, transitive
"His window gave the park."
- 34 propose wordnet
- 35 To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to yield.
"The number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship."
- 36 give food to wordnet
- 37 To cause; to make; used with the infinitive.
"But there the duke was given to understand / That in a gondola were seen together / Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica."
- 38 be flexible under stress of physical force wordnet
- 39 To cause (someone) to have; produce in (someone); effectuate.
""Can do" gives me a choice, while "should do" gives me a complex."
- 40 give or supply wordnet
- 41 To allow or admit by way of supposition; to concede.
"He can be bad-tempered, I'll give you that, but he's a hard worker."
- 42 cause to happen or be responsible for wordnet
- 43 To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.
"I don't wonder at people giving him to me for a lover."
- 44 bring about wordnet
- 45 To communicate or announce (advice, tidings, etc.); to pronounce or utter (an opinion, a judgment, a shout, etc.).
"The umpire finally gave his decision: the ball was out."
- 46 perform for an audience wordnet
- 47 To grant power, permission, destiny, etc. (especially to a person); to allot; to allow. dated
"These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth."
- 48 present to view wordnet
- 49 To devote or apply (oneself). reflexive
"The soldiers give themselves to plunder."
- 50 organize or be responsible for wordnet
- 51 To become soft or moist. obsolete
"Some moyst weather hath‥caused the powder to give and danke."
- 52 move in order to make room for someone for something wordnet
- 53 To shed tears; to weep. obsolete
"Whose eyes do never give / But through lust and laughter."
- 54 break down, literally or metaphorically wordnet
- 55 To have a misgiving. obsolete
"My mind gives ye're reserv'd / To rob poor market women."
- 56 transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody wordnet
- 57 leave with; give temporarily wordnet
- 58 give as a present; make a gift of wordnet
- 59 place into the hands or custody of wordnet
- 60 convey or reveal information wordnet
- 61 transmit (knowledge or skills) wordnet
- 62 contribute to some cause wordnet
- 63 give or convey physically wordnet
- 64 give (as medicine) wordnet
- 65 cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense wordnet
- 66 bestow, especially officially wordnet
- 67 be the cause or source of wordnet
- 68 endure the loss of wordnet
- 69 deliver in exchange or recompense wordnet
- 70 emit or utter wordnet
- 71 execute and deliver wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"I may give up soon and just nap instead."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "give"?
Common synonyms include: grant, hand, present, contribute, donate, furnish.
How do you use "give" in a sentence?
I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How do you pronounce "give"?
Pronounced /ɡɪv/.
Etymology
Middle English given, from merger of Old English giefan (“to give”) and Old Norse gefa (“to give”), from Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”). Displaced yive, from Middle English yiven, of the same origin, from influence of Old Norse gefa.