gave up

Definition of gave upnext
past tense of give up
1
as in relinquished
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
as in indulged
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly even in the darkest days of her troubled marriage, she refused to give herself up to feelings of utter hopelessness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gave up In his last three starts before the All-Star break, Alcantara gave up 24 hits and 18 earned runs in 17 innings. Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026 Gilbert gave up two runs on six hits with no walks while striking out five in six innings. CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026 Anderson gave up a run in two innings. Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026 Imanaga struck out seven in five innings, but also gave up four runs on six hits. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Harrison struck out eight and gave up one run, four hits and one walk in five innings. ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026 The best starter was right-hander George Klassen, who gave up one earned run in 4⅔ innings, with five strikeouts and no walks. Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026 Playing a sloppy period for one of the few times this calendar year, Dallas gave up four goals — two on breakaways, including a short-handed goal on a giveaway by Miro Heiskanen — as Utah ended the points streak with an emphatic 6-3 victory at the AAC. Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026 The Bobcats' pitching, which had been adequate for most of the nonconference slate, gave up 36 runs over three days. Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gave up
Verb
  • Coughlin was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and never relinquished that position as others fell off.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Simmons was set to be Ole Miss’ starter in 2025, but an early-season ankle injury derailed that, and Trinidad Chambliss took over and never relinquished the job.
    Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • But later that month, after several employees talked about quitting, the plan was abandoned.
    Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • On Israel, which fringes on both the Left and the Right have increasingly abandoned, Gallego questioned those who want to defund defensive support to the Middle Eastern nation.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Gus became a human resources officer at a large manufacturing corporation, but heartbreakingly succumbed to cancer at age 57 in 2005.
    David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Elaine Dube succumbed to her injuries and died at UMass Medical Center in Worcester.
    Francie Ebert, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.
    Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The custodian of the maison’s some 20,000 documents, fragments, and objects is the effervescent Sophie Rouart, who indulged me in pulling any style of my choosing.
    Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Many of those animals are surrendered when their owners can no longer properly care for them, an issue that Alessandro Catenazzi, associate professor of biological science at Florida International University, stressed.
    Julian Camejo, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Lukáš Dostál surrendered six goals on 29 shots, with culpability to spread around between him and his defense.
    Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • At the Greeley plant, union officials said the company tried to intimidate workers to quit the union in one-on-one meetings, union general counsel Matt Shechter said.
    Katie Langford, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Still, cuts to the airport security agency would come at a critical time for air travel with rising concerns about air safety after more than 500 TSA officers quit in recent weeks and amid a longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers.
    Reuters, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Try taking a census of the immobilized population of Los Angeles — otherwise known as our civic statues, rendered in metal or stone.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
  • After Colon was shot, cops rendered first aid and called for an ambulance.
    Theodore Parisienne, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In late 2025 the company discontinued much of its product range and brought out a new stable of V series pistols, supposedly designed to resist modification with third-party switches.
    Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Laura also requested respite care for nighttime tube feeds, but the warrant says a doctor told her those would be discontinued because her son was taking medication by mouth without issue.
    Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Gave up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gave%20up. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.

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