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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

give someone to understand en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, qualifier:chiefly passive voice) To tell someone, especially indirectly; to insinuate.
    • Hadn't she explained and described and even—though lightly, of course; she couldn't say such a thing directly—given him to understand that this was the one unforgivable thing. 1920, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Revelations”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 264:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
given someone to understand Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
gave someone to understand Tense=Past lexicographic
giving someone to understand Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
gives someone to understand Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic