give

verb

ˈgiv How to pronounce give (audio)
Definition of givenext
1
as in to donate
to make a present of thanked all the tutors who generously gave their time to help students after school

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to leave
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another gave my camera to my father to hold while I went swimming

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to offer
to bring before the public in performance or exhibition the author will give a reading from her latest work at 7:00 p.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to collapse
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure they loaded the shopping cart with so much food it gave under all the weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to pay
to hand over or use up in payment I wouldn't give a nickel for such a run-down car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to express
to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion) she gave her opinion on the matter very firmly and unmistakably

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention totally gave himself to his studies in the hopes of winning a scholarship for next year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to yield
to produce as revenue a company that consistently gives $30 million in profits to the owner

Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in to provide
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption gave him my e-mail address

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in to run by
to put before another for acceptance or consideration she gave the committee her grant proposal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in to transmit
to cause (something) to pass from one to another she gave her cold to me, and now I'm so sick that I can barely get out of bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb give contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of give are afford, bestow, confer, donate, and present. While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

give alms
gave her a ride on a pony
give my love to your mother

When is it sensible to use afford instead of give?

Although the words afford and give have much in common, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

the trees afford shade
a development that affords us some hope

When can bestow be used instead of give?

While the synonyms bestow and give are close in meaning, bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

bestow unwanted advice

When is confer a more appropriate choice than give?

While in some cases nearly identical to give, confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

confer an honorary degree

In what contexts can donate take the place of give?

The synonyms donate and give are sometimes interchangeable, but donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

donate a piano to the orphanage

When might present be a better fit than give?

The meanings of present and give largely overlap; however, present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

present an award

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 give For adult couples who could use more space to stretch out, some trundles also pop up to give guests extra room. —Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 21 Apr. 2025 The small loveseat can hold two people and has a unique rounded design that gives your room a modern, but retro look. —Christopher Murray, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025 McIntyre, though upset over his lack of presence in the world title picture, wanted fans to give his feud with a Priest a chance before writing it off. —Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025 In 2017 Francis gave a copy of his 2015 climate encyclical to President Trump, who visited him at the Vatican during his first term. —Jeff Brady, NPR, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for give
Recent Examples of Synonyms for give
  1. donate
  2. leave
  3. offer
  4. collapse
  5. pay
  6. express
  7. devote
  8. yield
Verb
  • Resting at auction and donate the proceeds to the organization.
    — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
  • For two decades after graduating from Harvard, Samuel Graham-Felsen never donated to his alma mater.
    — Vimal Patel, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of donate
Verb
  • Prosecutors accused Read of striking O’Keefe with her SUV then leaving him to die in the snow.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Four defeats in their first five outings left the team in a lowly sixth in the eight-team division, seven points behind Swansea City in fifth.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Definition of leave
Verb
  • All offers end April 30 (each can only be used once and offers do not stack).
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Brentford offered lots of options for this exercise and Keane Lewis-Potter solved some problems at left-back.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of offer
Verb
  • But, as ballots were being counted, government authorities announced that the electoral system had collapsed.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Tommy walks through the burning town and finds Maria, collapsing into her on Main Street, which is littered with dead, human and infected both.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Filers earning more than $100,000 per year pay 85% of the income tax, while those under $100,000, representing 72% of filers, pay the remaining 15%, according to the statistics.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2025
  • In 2020, the Trump administration paid to restore a Columbus statue in Baltimore that was dumped in the harbor during protests against the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
Definition of pay
Verb
  • Yi Ming’s personal resilience and love of light is expressed in the work.
    — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, and the defense secretary's wife, Jennifer Hegseth, also a former Fox producer, expressed their approval for the upgrade before it was undertaken, one of the sources said.
    — Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of express
Verb
  • The store also devoted four windows on Fifth Avenue to the collection, which will remain through April 30.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The organization devoted a team to research fan sections across college sports, European leagues and around the world, which eventually led to the concept for The Wall.
    — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of devote
Verb
  • As a collective, HQ Portfolio stocks have yielded superior returns with less risk in comparison to the benchmark index; resulting in a less turbulent experience, as evidenced in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.
    — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Health plans improved on the other three measures, but not enough to avoid penalties, which yielded $15 million.
    — Bernard J. Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Definition of yield

Phrases Containing give

Browse Nearby Words

gits
give
give a hang
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Give.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/give. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on give

Nglish: Translation of give for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words You Always Have to Look Up

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

Triumph, Ovation, and Other Words from Ancient Rome

Rhetorical Devices Used in Pop Songs
See More

Popular

See More

Words You Always Have to Look Up

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All