From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgivegive1 /ɡɪv/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense gave /ɡeɪv/, past participle given /ˈɡɪvən/) 1 present or money [intransitive, transitive]GIVE to let someone have something as a present, or to provide something for someonegive somebody something What did Bob give you for your birthday? Researchers were given a £10,000 grant to continue their work. I’ve got some old diaries that my grandmother gave me years ago.give something to somebody a ring which was given to him by his mother I didn’t steal it! Maria gave it to me! Most people are willing to give to charity. The situation is now desperate, so please give generously. ► Don’t say ‘give to someone something’: He gave me a card (NOT He gave to me a card). | They gave a prize to the best chef (NOT They gave to the best chef a prize).2 put something in somebody’s hand [transitive]GIVE to put something in someone’s handgive somebody something Give me the letter, please.give something to somebody He poured some wine into a glass and gave it to her.3 let somebody do something [transitive]LET/ALLOW to allow or make it possible for someone to do somethinggive somebody something He finally gave us permission to leave. These meetings give everyone a chance to express their opinions. Students are given the freedom to choose their own topics. Language gives us the ability to communicate at a much higher level than any other animal. Women were given the vote in the early 1900s.give somebody control/authority/responsibility etc She was given absolute control over all recruitment decisions.give something to somebody This bill will give more power to local authorities.4 tell somebody something [transitive]TELL to tell someone information or details about something, or to tell someone what they should do She gave me some information on university courses. My secretary will be able to give you more details. Let me give you some advice.give orders/instructions She certainly likes giving orders. They were given strict instructions not to tell anyone. Can you give me directions to the station (=tell me how to go there)? He gave the following example. You may have to give evidence in court (=tell a court about what you have seen or know to be true).give an account/description He gave a disturbing account of the murder.5 make a movement/do an actionDO [transitive] to do something by making a movement with your hand, face, body etcgive a smile/laugh/grin/frown/yawn etc She gave a little frown. Joel gave me a smile as I walked in. He gave her a big hug.give a wave/movement/signal He gave a wave of his hand. Don’t move until I give the signal.give something a shake/rattle/tug etc She picked up the envelope and gave it a shake. 6 speech/talk/performance [transitive]APPERFORM to make a speech, perform a piece of music etc for a group of peoplegive a talk/speech/lecture He’s giving a talk on early Roman pottery.give a performance/display They gave one of their best performances to date.7 make somebody have a feeling [transitive]CAUSE to make someone have a feelinggive somebody something He gave us quite a shock. The course has given me a lot more confidence. His job did not give him much sense of fulfilment.give something to somebody Their music has given pleasure to a lot of people over the years.give somebody a headache/hangover Keep the noise down – you’re giving me a headache!8 make somebody have problems [transitive]SCT to make someone have problemsgive somebody problems/trouble/difficulties The new software has given us quite a few problems.9 make somebody ill [transitive]GIVE to infect someone with the same illness that you havegive somebody something Don’t come too close – I don’t want you to give me your cold!give something to somebody It’s very unlikely a doctor could give HIV to a patient.10 organize a social eventPARTY [transitive] to organize a social event such as a party SYN hold, put on We’re giving a small party for dad’s birthday next week. 11 make somebody do something [transitive]JOB/TASK to tell someone to do a job or piece of workgive somebody work/homework etc How much homework are you given in a week? He’s always giving us chores to do around the house.12 make somebody/something have a quality [transitive]PROVIDE to make someone or something have a particular quality SYN lendgive somebody/something sth The ginger gives the dish a wonderful spicy flavour. His grey hair gave him an air of distinction. Its association with the movie industry has given the place a certain glamor.13 pay for [transitive]PAY FOR to pay a particular amount of money for something They say they’re not willing to give any more than they’ve already offered.give somebody something for something They gave us £700 for our old car. How much will you give me for these two games?► see thesaurus at pay14 behave towards [transitive] to behave towards someone in a way that shows you have a particular attitude or feeling towards themgive somebody loyalty/obedience/respect The people were expected to give their leader absolute obedience and loyalty.15 punishment [transitive] to officially say that someone must have a particular punishmentgive somebody a fine/a sentence If you don’t pay on time, you could be given a fine of up to $1,000.give somebody six months/three years etc (=in prison) The judge gave her two years in prison. 16 → give (somebody) an impression/a sense/an idea17 → give something thought/attention/consideration etc18 → give (somebody) a hand19 → give somebody a call/buzz20 → give something a try/shot/whirl21 → give somebody time/a few weeks/all day etc22 → I give it six weeks/a month etc23 → not give something a second thought/another thought24 be less strict [intransitive]CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENT to be willing to change what you think or do according to what else happens I think that both sides need to give a little.25 state a decision [transitive] British EnglishDS to state what your official decision or judgment is, for example in a game The referee has given a penalty. The jury will be giving its verdict within the next couple of days.26 give a mark/score [transitive] to decide that someone should have a particular score or mark for something that they have done She only gave me a B for my last essay. The judges have given him top marks for this performance.27 bend/stretch [intransitive]LOOSE if a material gives, it bends or stretches when you put pressure on it New shoes often feel tight, but the leather should give a little after a few days.28 break/move [intransitive]BREAK if something gives, it breaks or moves away suddenly because of weight or pressure on it The branch suddenly gave beneath him. I pushed against the door with all my might, but it still wouldn’t give. 29 → give me something (any day/time)30 → would give anything/a lot/your right arm etc for something31 → not give a damn/shit etc32 → don’t give me that33 → give somebody what for34 → give as good as you get35 → give and take36 → give or take a few minutes/a penny/a mile etc37 → I’ll give you that38 → give somebody to understand/think/believe something39 → give it to somebody straight40 → I give you the chairman/prime minister/groom etc41 sex [transitive] old-fashionedGIVE if a woman gives herself to a man, she has sex with himTHESAURUSgive to let someone have something, without expecting to be paid for itHe was always giving me gifts.They gave a free drink to all their customers.donate to give money to an organization that helps people or protects something, or to give your blood or part of your body to save someone’s lifeThe company donates 1 per cent of its profits to charity.70% of people wanted to donate their organs after death.award to officially give money or a prize to someoneShe was awarded a million dollars in damages.Hollywood awarded him an Oscar for his performance.present to formally or officially give something to someone by putting it in their hands, especially at a formal ceremonyThey presented her with a bouquet of flowers.leave (also bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð, bɪˈkwiːθ/ formal) to officially arrange for someone to have something that you own after your deathHe left most of his property to his wife.lavish somebody with something/lavish something on somebody formal to give someone a lot of something, especially praise, attention, or giftsAfter his team won, the press lavished him with praise. confer formal to give someone an honour, a university degree, or the right or power to do somethingthe powers conferred on him by Parliamentthe highest honor that her country could confer on her bestow formal to give someone something to show how much they are respected, for example an honour, a title, or a gift – a very formal useHe was also bestowed the title of ‘Cultural Ambassador of Grenada’. to give something to a group of peoplehand something out/give something out to give something to each of the people in a groupThe teacher handed out the test papers.I’m going to give out some forms for you to fill in.distribute to give things to a large number of people, especially in the streetsAnti-war protesters were distributing leaflets.share (also share something out British English) to divide something into equal parts and give a part to each personThey shared the profits among the staff. → give somebody/something away → give something ↔ back → give in → give in to something → give of something → give off something → give onto something → give out → give over → give something over to somebody/something → give up → give up on somebody/something → give yourself up to something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
give• He said he'd give £40 for the painting, so I said yes.• "I don't really want to spend that much." "OK, how much are you prepared to give?"• I'm giving a dinner party on Thursday night. Would you like to come?• Dr Hebden will be giving a lecture later this week on the role of women in the economy.• Don't worry if swimsuits are tight -- they always give a little.• Davis gives a wonderful performance as an 81-year-old man.• A bigger fact in history than so-called historians give credit for.• Companies are already paying for training programs to give employees the basic skills they should have learned in high school.• He gives generously to the church.• Come on, give Grandpa a hug.• Their steep decline has given grim satisfaction to their legions of detractors.• His new hairstyle gives him a youthful look.• His uniform gave him an air of authority.• I asked Joel's teacher if we should give him some Level 4 work.• LA Weekly magazine gives information about what's on in Los Angeles every week.• Give me a call at 8:00.• Can you give me a ride to the office tomorrow?• I gave my nieces and nephews $20 each.• We merely suggest or advise rather than give orders.• Angie did a really good interview, but they gave the job to someone with more experience.• They gave the woman a mattress on the floor.• 'Have you peeled the carrots?' 'No, I gave them to Dad to do.'• About a quarter of Britons regularly give to charity.• That was why she could not, must not, give up on the boy.• If you're bored, I'll give you something to do.• Did they give you the asking price for the house?give somebody something• Aunt Jo gave Alex a telescope.• The noise is giving me a headache.• They never gave me a chance to explain.• Women were given the right to vote in the early 1900s.• Would you give Kim a message for me?• Dan gave me a ride to work.• He didn't give us any explanation for what he did.• Here, give me your coat. I'll hang it up for you.• I wasn't given any help at all.• Jones was given thirty years for the murder.• Let me give you some advice.• My husband gave me this cold.• The doctor gave him something for the pain.gave ... permission• Allen Ginsberg gave us permission, and demanded accountability.• The development control sub-committee gave planning permission and will now begin putting out and accepting tenders for the work.• Her father, finding her in this condition, sadly relented and gave his permission for her entrance.• Although Swensson gave written permission for the doctor to discuss his case, Petersen declined to comment.• The army later gave permission for women, children under 18 and men over 60 to leave Sarajevo next week.• The Treasury gave permission in 1971 for work to commence and the building operation started in the autumn.• I gave myself permission in the remaining months I had in Paris to focus on Meurent.• In 1793 the government gave permission to convert entailed property into treasury bonds.give ... advice• I value the way they accept my orders and the talented, knowledgeable and irreplaceable company agronomist who gives me advice.• If you wait for inspiration it may be more difficult for the Careers Service to give constructive advice.• The mud pony was the original talking horse, and this pony gave good advice.• Who are you to pretend to be giving advice?• Who says I never give you helpful advice?• I shall give you my advice in twenty-four hours.• He is now preparing information for distribution to commercial rose growers and to retail nurseries to give advice on controlling the pests.• Throughout the play characters are giving advice to one another as to how they should behave.give a smile/laugh/grin/frown/yawn etc• Instead give smiles and nods of encouragement and messages of trust and positive expectations.• He gave a laugh, then on further thought laughed some more.give a talk/speech/lecture• But once in the workshop they assembled all the workers and gave speeches.• They also appear slightly more confident and enjoy leading groups, giving speeches and presentations.• President Clinton was here to give a speech in a neighboring town.• Pataki later gave a speech nominating Jack Kemp for vice president.• The journey culminated in a Friday night debate where Patten gave a lecture on proper posture.• Despite the hostile reaction, Prusiner continued his research, publishing papers and giving lectures that some called near-religious experiences.• This involves giving talks to farmers and gamekeepers about how they can carry out their work in a bird-friendly way.• Between 1907 and 1911 he gave lectures which were ultimately to become the renowned Cours Linguistique Générale.given ... confidence• A home of my own has given me confidence.• Also rejected was an objection that the Commission had decided to disclose information given in confidence.• Clients will of course be assured that all details are given in confidence.• She too has given him confidence and relieved some of the loneliness of his position.• Her unique status had given her unusual confidence for a Tiller.• Now Helen, loving and admiring him, had given him the confidence he needed to be happy.• We must be given confidence in the Government who rule us without our consent.• The places I've been and people I've met have given me the confidence to carry on.giving a ... party• They pointed out that the incident could be marked by planting a tree on the course or giving a party.• They are giving the Republican Party a second look, or maybe even a first look.• They had grown tired of giving parties and picnics in Swangrove.• The conference approved a series of structural reforms giving constituency parties and the unions more power over the appointment of the leader.• He had admiration, financial success-yet it was as though he were giving a great party every night.• He was giving the party for his brother, visiting London again now, at the end of the summer.• But a recent poll of white voters showed only one in four giving the party their support.give somebody something for something• I'll give you $75 for the oak desk.give somebody a fine/a sentence• Function words are those which give structure to a sentence, such as articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc.givegive2 noun [uncountable] LOOSEthe ability of a material or substance to bend or stretch when put under pressure The rope has quite a bit of give in it.Examples from the Corpus
give• Obviously, in any negotiations there has to be a give and a take.• There was hardly any give at all.• This skirt doesn't have a lot of give to it.has ... give• Approval has now been given for the acquisition of the building.• The Altru Hospital Auxiliary has given the largest contribution thus far.• The Dole campaign has not yet given the thumbs up, preferring to wait for the results of Super Tuesday.• Over one million pounds has been given away since the series began and audience figures last year topped 14 million.• That portion of the decision in Roe has been given too little acknowledgement and implementation by the Court in its subsequent cases.• She knows the bench is weak in part because she has not given any of the newcomers significant playing time.• Our colleague Mark Wheadon has also given valuable help.• It is he who has given you the ability to swim.Origin give1 Old English giefan 