gave up

VERB

admit defeat

Synonyms

WEAK

abandon back down bail out bow out buckle under capitulate cave in cease cede chicken out collapse comply concede cry uncle cut out desist despair drop drop like a hot potato fold forswear hand over leave off pull out quit relinquish resign stop submit surrender take the oath throw in the towel waive walk out on wash one's hands of yield

Antonyms

WEAK

fight hold out stand up to withstand

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s unbeaten in this tournament and two of the four goals it gave up were own goals.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

Eventually, he gave up the attempted name change due to bureaucratic hurdles.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

He gave up his designated parking space near the entrance to the executive offices and said it should be available to the first arrival.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

Caitlin's dad Ian praised his daughter's "fighting spirit" and how she "never gave up hope", as well as her "ability to live in the now and not worry about things outside of her control".

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

She tried to undo the knot around her waist first, but when she’d pulled it so tight that she could hardly breathe, she gave up and worked on the other end.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr