give up
Third Person
gives up
Present Participle
giving up
Past Tense
gave up
Past Participle
given up
1
to stop trying when faced with failures or difficulties
- He refused to give up even when the odds were stacked against him.
- When faced with the challenging puzzle, he was tempted to give up, but he persisted and solved it.
- The team was losing, but they didn't give up, and their determination led to a comeback victory.
- It’s easy to give up when things get tough, but perseverance is key.
- Don’t give up now; you’re almost there.
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2
to stop or end an activity or state
transitive
- They decided to give up their long-standing rivalry for the sake of peace.
- After years of disagreement, they finally decided to give up the argument.
- The government had to give the plan up after public opposition.
- The athlete had to give up his dream of participating in the Olympics due to an injury.
- After years of searching, he finally gave finding his missing pet up.
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3
to voluntarily resign or depart from a job or position
transitive
- The CEO announced his decision to give his role up and retire after many successful years.
- She decided to give up her managerial position to pursue a career in a different field.
- The CEO announced his decision to give up his role and retire after many successful years.
- He had to give up his position as team captain due to an injury that prevented him from playing.
- The mayor made the difficult decision to give up his political office due to personal reasons.
4
to lose something, such as a right or possession, typically due to an error, offense, or crime
transitive
- He had to give up his driver's license after multiple traffic violations.
- The athlete was forced to give up his gold medal due to a doping scandal.
- The defendant had to give up his assets as part of the court settlement.
- After the legal dispute, they had to give up ownership of the property.
- The employee had to give up his position in the company for violating company policies.
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5
to sacrifice something valued for the benefit or well-being of someone or something else
transitive
- They gave up everything for their son's education.
- Despite personal dreams, she gave up her career to support her family.
- The couple decided to give their vacation fund up to help a friend in need.
- He willingly gave his prized possessions up to support a charitable cause.
Synonyms:
6
to allow someone to have or use something
transitive
- She was ready to give up her place in line to let the elderly woman go first.
- In a generous act, he offered to give his dessert up to his younger sibling.
- He decided to give up his parking spot to the person who needed it more.
- The organization decided to give some office space up for a nonprofit organization.
- He decided to give up his seat on the crowded bus and walked home instead.
Synonyms:
7
to let go of things that are not essential or necessary
transitive
- She decided to give her daily coffee habit up to save money.
- The hiker had to give up some of his non-essential gear to reduce the backpack's weight.
- They chose to give up their extravagant vacations in favor of a more frugal lifestyle.
- In an effort to declutter, he decided to give up many of his unused possessions.
- The family gave up their large, energy-consuming appliances for more eco-friendly options.
Synonyms:
8
to stop holding onto or advocating for certain ideas or claims
transitive
- He had to give up his insistence on the traditional approach to problem-solving.
- Sometimes it's important to give up your pride for the sake of a harmonious relationship.
- The scientist was reluctant to give his theory up, even when it was disproven.
- The political party eventually had to give up their stance on the controversial policy.
- He was willing to give up his argument when presented with strong evidence to the contrary.
Synonyms:
9
to surrender control, power, or possession to someone else
transitive
- The defeated army had to give up their weapons and surrender to the victorious forces.
- In a peaceful transition of leadership, the outgoing president agreed to give up power to the newly elected leader.
- The company had to give up control of the subsidiary to comply with regulatory requirements.
- He decided to give up ownership of the family business to his younger sibling.
- The board of directors voted to give decision-making authority up to the newly appointed CEO.
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10
to cease the consumption or use of something
transitive
- She decided to give up sweets in an effort to improve her health.
- After years of smoking, he finally gave it up for good.
- They made a pact to give up fast food and focus on healthier meals.
- To save money, he chose to give up buying expensive coffee from cafes.
- The doctor advised him to give up alcohol for the sake of his liver's health.
Synonyms:
11
(with reference to baseball) to allow the opposing team to score runs
transitive
- The pitcher had to give three runs up to the opposing team in the first inning.
- The team's defense struggled, leading to several errors that gave up runs.
- In the late innings, the tired pitcher started to give up hits, resulting in runs.
- The game was intense, but the closer refused to give up any runs in the ninth inning.
- The starting pitcher had a strong performance and didn't give up any runs in the first five innings.
Synonyms:
12
to surrender or offer oneself or someone else to be captured by authorities
transitive
- The fugitive decided to give himself up rather than prolonging the chase.
- She chose to give her accomplice up to avoid a harsher sentence.
- In the face of guilt, he finally gave himself up to the authorities.
- Faced with the consequences, the suspect decided to give himself up.
- Realizing the gravity of his actions, the criminal made the difficult decision to give himself up to law enforcement.
13
to abandon hope or expectation regarding someone's arrival, recovery, or discovery
transitive
- We hadn't seen you all evening; we were starting to give you up.
- When you didn't arrive by midnight, we'd almost given you up.
- There you are!We'd given you up for lost after waiting for hours.
- We hadn't received any news from you for weeks; we'd given you up for dead.
- After searching for our cat for days, we'd given her up until she finally came home.
14
to end a relationship with someone
transitive
- Why don't you give him up?It's causing too much stress.
- After numerous disagreements, they decided to give each other up.
- After continuous betrayals, she finally decided to give him up and move on.
- Sometimes it's better to give someone up if the relationship is toxic.
- Despite efforts to reconcile, they eventually gave each other up.
15
to sacrifice time that would normally be spent on other activities for a specific task or purpose
transitive
- I gave my weekend up to help him paint his apartment.
- Despite the tempting invitation, she gave up her Saturday to work on the project.
- He gave up his evening plans to assist with the community event.
- They gave their vacation up to contribute to the charitable cause.
- She willingly gave up her free time to volunteer at the local shelter.
16
to let oneself be entirely overtaken by a specific emotion, sensation, or addiction
transitive
- She gave herself up to the anger, letting it control her actions.
- Instead of seeking help, he gave himself up to the despair of isolation.
- After a stressful week, they decided to give themselves up to relaxation at the spa.
- He gave himself up to pleasure and enjoyed the moment without restraint.
- In times of sorrow, she allowed herself to give up to grief.