Dictionary

give away en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make a gift of (something).
   • Some people gave away their savings, assuming that, within a few years, money would be useless or everyone on Earth would be dead. 2024 March 18, Andrew Marantz, “О.К., Doomer”, in The New Yorker, page 46:
   • I didn't like that book, so I gave it away.
2. (broadly, informal, transitive) To sell very cheaply.
   • This was dramatically illustrated by the market for commercial real estate in New York during 1993, which was said to be "so bad that they're giving it away". 2019, David A. Ness, The Impact of Overbuilding on People and the Planet, page 36:
3. (transitive) To relinquish control over.
   • This issue marks a first of its kind for St. Louis Magazine: We've given away our cover feature.[…] In early summer, our editors[…] posed a collective question: What if we asked some[…] citizens what the future should look like? We'll give each of them[…] 200 words of space in the magazine[…]. 2010 September, Stephen Schenkenberg, "Many Big Ideas, One Big Transition", St. Louis magazine, ISSN 1090-5723, volume 16, issue 9, page 16
4. (transitive) To formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom; often by her father.
   • Who giveth away this woman to this man in Holy matrimony?
5. (reflexive, sometimes, transitive) To unintentionally reveal a secret or divulge undisclosed information; to betray or expose someone.
   • But now it's just another show / You leave 'em laughing when you go / And if you care, don't let them know / Don't give yourself away 1968, Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides, Now”:
   • He gave himself away with a stupid lie.
   • He gave away his hiding place when he accidentally sneezed.
   • Hear footsteps creak the floor / The shadows give away / Someone outside the door / Won't let 'em in 2009, “A Looking In View”, in Jerry Cantrell (lyrics), Black Gives Way To Blue, performed by Alice in Chains, Track 5:
6. (transitive) To concede an advantage in weight, time, height etc.
   • Despite giving away twenty pounds in weight, the challenger found a knock-out blow in the second round.
7. To concede.
   • England gave away six penalties in the first 15 minutes and were lucky to still have 15 men on the pitch, but Kvirikashvili missed two very makeable penalties in quick succession as Georgia were unable to take advantage of significant territorial advantage. 2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport:

Forms

Coordinates

give up · give up · give up

Deriveds

give away the store · give-away · give away the shop · giveaway

Relateds

give way

Translations (50)

fi lahjoittaa (to make a gift of something) · de weggeben (to make a gift of something) · uk дарува́ти (to make a gift of something) · bg разкривам (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · lt nuduoti (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · pt abrir mão (to relinquish control over) · de übergeben (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · de anvertrauen (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · de verraten (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · nl weggeven (to make a gift of something) · nl weggeven (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · fi antaa tasoitusta (to concede an advantage) · fi luopua (to relinquish control over) · it regalare (to make a gift of something) · ru выдать (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · de überlassen (to relinquish control over) · it tradirsi (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · it dare via (to make a gift of something) · eo malkaŝi (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · pt denunciar (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · fi luovuttaa (sports: to concede) · uk віддава́ти (to relinquish control over) · ga tionlaic chun na haltóra (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · pl rozdać (to make a gift of something) · fi antaa pois (to make a gift of something) · mi whakamoe (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · fr donner (to make a gift of something) · fi antaa (to make a gift of something) · yi אַוועקגעבן (to make a gift of something) · fr se trahir (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · ga scaoil (to make a gift of something) · es delatar (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · fi luovuttaa (to relinquish control over) · pt entregar-se (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · pt dar (to make a gift of something) · bg предавам се (sports: to concede) · fi paljastaa (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · pt dar de presente (to make a gift of something) · bg отдавам (to relinquish control over) · lt nuduoti (to make a gift of something) · fi luovuttaa (to formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom) · bg подарявам (to make a gift of something) · de verschenken (sports: to concede) · gd leig air (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · fr offrir (to make a gift of something) · fa سوتی دادن (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · ga scaoil (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · ru спалить (to unintentionally reveal a secret, or expose someone) · pl rozdawać (to make a gift of something) · fi antaa (sports: to concede)