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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

give up the ghost en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Literally, to release one's spirit or soul from the body at death. From Middle English "gaf up þe gost", "ȝave up þe gost", from Old English phrases as "hēo āġeaf hire gāst" (literally, "she gave up her ghost [spirit]"), "þæt iċ gāst mīnne āġifan mōte" (literally, "that I must give up my ghost [spirit]"). Compare German den Geist aufgeben, Dutch de geest geven, French rendre l'âme. Perhaps most notable and survived in modern English for being used in traditional translation during the death of Jesus during His crucifixion

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To cease clinging to life; to die.
    • And Ieſus cryed with a loude voice, and gaue vp the ghoſt. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 15:37:
  2. (figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive) To quit; to cease functioning.
    • My old computer finally gave up the ghost the other day.
    • We've got a problem. A big one. The controller chip for our water purification system has given up the ghost. We can't make another one and the process is too complicated for a work-around system. Simply put, we're running out of drinking water. No water, no Vault. 1997 October 10, Interplay Productions, Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, v1.1, spoken by Vault 13 Overseer (Kenneth Mars), Irvine, California: Interplay Productions, →OCLC, Windows, scene: Overseer Briefing:
    • On the long 1 in 100 ascent from Staveley to Heath she nearly stalled, and having taken 67¼ min. to cover the 38.2 miles to Nottingham instead of the 51 min. scheduled she gave up the ghost, and came off the train. 1960 April 14, O. S. Nock, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 271 ("she" refers to a locomotive):
  3. (intransitive) To cede a commitment to or identification with.
    • Burnett holds the door while Lowrey holds Francine. She's broken, crying, and giving up the ghost of her past. 1995, Bad Boys:
    • Its Windows CE, ostensibly for consumer electronics, is flailing, largely because Microsoft has taken a PC mentality to develop CE, unable to give up the ghost of its heritage. 2000 January 14, Kevin Maney, “Gates closes an era Microsoft prepares to lay out a road map”, in USA Today:
    • But McCartney, 50, is hardly ready to give up the ghost of his creative past. 1993 February 8, “A Magical History Tour”, in Time:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
gave up the ghost Tense=Past lexicographic
given up the ghost Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
gives up the ghost Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
giving up the ghost Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

draw one's last breath · give up

Synonyms

go out · be gathered to one's fathers · bite the big one · cross the Great Divide · pass in one's marble · snuff it · be called home · go the way of all flesh · meet one's doom · pass the river · hop the twig · go west · pass over · meet one's maker · pay the debt of nature · give one's all · kick the bucket · turn up one's toes · push up daisies · be like the the One · yield the ghost · croak · hand in one's checks · flatline · pay nature's debt · decompose · auger in · be with the Lord · go over to the majority · knock off · go to glory · be with Jesus · kick off · slip away · cross over · lose the number of one's mess · code · give up the ghost · bite the biscuit · pass · cark it · shuffle off this mortal coil · fall off the twig · pass on · depart · conk out · succumb · cross the Styx · bite the dust · liquidate · yield up the ghost · hand in one's dinner pail · peg out · buy the farm · pass away · buy it · meet one's end · pop one's clogs · close one's eyes for the last time · go for a burton · disincarnate · assume room temperature · forfare · sink · decease · go the way of the dodo · keel over · join the choir invisible · cash in · pop off · sleep with one's fathers · exit · go to one's reward · check out · take a dirt nap · perish · go the way of the dinosaurs · dematerialize · pass in one's checks · drop off the hooks · cash in one's chips · be no more · expire · darken · draw one's last breath · go the way of the dodo bird · yield up the ghost

Translations (26)

cmn 見閻王 /见阎王 (to die) · vi gặp Diêm Vương (to die) · vi tắt thở (to die) · es entregar el alma a Dios (to die) · it esalare l'ultimo respiro (to die) · cs vypustit duši (to die) · pt vestir o paletó de madeira (to die) · cmn 斷氣 /断气 (to die) · mi pau te hau (to die) · fi heittää henkensä (to die) · is gefa upp öndina (to die) · ru испусти́ть дух (to die) · pt bater as botas (to die) · es entregar el equipo (to die) · sv ge upp andan (to die) · ro da duhul (to die) · fr rendre l'âme (to die) · pl wyzionąć ducha (to die) · es pasar a mejor vida (to die) · nl de geest geven (to die) · es entregar el alma (to die) · hu kileheli a lelkét (to die) · de den Geist aufgeben (to die) · af die gees gee (to die) · hy հոգին փչել (to die) · it rendere l'anima (to die)