gives up

verbadmit defeat

Synonyms for gives up

verb admit defeat

Antonyms for gives up

Word Origin & History

Old English giefan (W. Saxon) "to give, bestow; allot, grant; commit, devote, entrust," class V strong verb (past tense geaf, past participle giefen), from Proto-Germanic *gebanan (cf. Old Frisian jeva, Middle Dutch gheven, Dutch geven, Old High German geban, German geben, Gothic giban), from PIE *ghabh- "to take, hold, have, give" (see habit). It became yiven in Middle English, but changed to guttural "g" by influence of Old Norse gefa "to give," Old Danish givæ. Meaning "to yield to pressure" is from 1570s.

Give in "yield" is from 1610s; give out is mid-14c., "publish, announce;" meaning "run out, break down" is from 1520s. Give up "surrender" is mid-12c. To give (someone) a cold seems to reflect the old belief that one could be cured of disease by deliberately infecting others. What gives? "what is happening?" is attested from 1940. Give-and-take (n.) is originally from horse racing (1769) and refers to races in which bigger horses were given more weight to carry, lighter ones less. General sense attested by 1778.

Example Sentences for gives up

What is the reward if one gives up the fascination of life and the world?

But they let us live because, every so often, one of us gives up and joins them.

At last one—most often the workers'—side weakens and gives up the struggle.

"Unless Mrs. Fletcher gives up her seat," said Jessie demurely.

The snake bites, but hurts himself, and after a while gives up biting.

He gives up his freedom in order not to perish through enjoyment.

The subject, they say, "gives up" more and quicker when the hurry call is sounded.

I don't see that that exonerates the man who gives up the keys of the sanctuary, as it were.

The grave, where He weeps like a woman, gives up its prisoner at His word.

The true hero is he who gives up his will and, if need be, his life, at the order of his leader.