1
as in relinquishing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently
I hope you won't give up playing the piano
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in succumbing
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
with the prospect of a renewed enemy attack, the regiment decided to simply give up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in indulging
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in surrender
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 giving up
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The 21-year-old Rodriguez debuted in late May and threw 1⅔ scoreless innings in his lone appearance, striking out a batter, walking one and hitting another without giving up a run.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Scott couldn’t escape, giving up a walk-off grand slam to Patrick Bailey as the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers, 5-1, on Friday night.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
All while allowing just 303 yards, after giving up nearly 600 (586) the week prior.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
But then the unit faltered, giving up a 14-yard play to Quentin Johnston on the next down.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Everything else is printed with biodegradable or recycled filament, cutting plastic use without giving up structural performance.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
When the existing state of land is different from its highest and best use, giving up the opportunity to develop the land forgoes substantial value.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Friday night, Senzatela wasn’t good, but hung around for four innings, giving up five runs on eight hits.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 23 Aug. 2025
Noun
Their offense has struggled to generate big plays consistently, and their defense, especially in pass coverage, has been giving up a lot of yardage.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
The 21-year-old Rodriguez debuted in late May and threw 1⅔ scoreless innings in his lone appearance, striking out a batter, walking one and hitting another without giving up a run.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Scott couldn’t escape, giving up a walk-off grand slam to Patrick Bailey as the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers, 5-1, on Friday night.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
All while allowing just 303 yards, after giving up nearly 600 (586) the week prior.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
But then the unit faltered, giving up a 14-yard play to Quentin Johnston on the next down.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Everything else is printed with biodegradable or recycled filament, cutting plastic use without giving up structural performance.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
When the existing state of land is different from its highest and best use, giving up the opportunity to develop the land forgoes substantial value.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Friday night, Senzatela wasn’t good, but hung around for four innings, giving up five runs on eight hits.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for giving up
Verb
-
Few believe Kim would countenance relinquishing his nuclear deterrence, given the fates of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, both toppled after abandoning their weapons programs.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The cost of obtaining them will very quickly amount to billions of dollars, which could force Musk to pay by relinquishing shares.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This doesn't mean making reckless career moves or abandoning job security without proper planning.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Since arriving at Starbucks during a time of turmoil, Niccol, a former top executive at Chipotle, has tried to rebuild personal connections with customers through initiatives like abandoning pickup-only shops and adjusting the interior design of stores.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And across the board, officers with stronger EQ are better at building informant networks, de-escalating tense scenes, and sustaining long-term careers without succumbing to burnout.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The man sitting next to me was beginning to nod off, perhaps succumbing to a post-cookie sugar crash.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And, heck, even Friday, particularly with Travis Kelce indulging and inciting fans at Neo Quimica Arena with dance moves during warmups before the Chiefs took on the Los Angeles Chargers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This isn’t about indulging individual preferences, but rather maximizing human potential.—
Neil Henderson,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The developing cauldron would trap Russian troops with few options beyond surrender or destruction.—
David Kirichenko,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
His surrender was a relief, but not to the millions who mourned Kirk.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is less computationally intensive than actually rendering all three of those frames; it can be combined with MetalFX's existing temporal upscaling, boosting performance even further.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
But the speed came from all three levels of Green Bay’s defense, rendering Washington’s offense almost inoperative.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After prominent political activist Charlie Kirk was killed at a speaking event at a Utah university last week, an intense, 30-plus-hour manhunt for a suspect in the shooting ended with him peacefully surrendering at a local sheriff’s office, accompanied by his parents.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
-
As your celestial ruler, Venus, takes a dip in your sleepy 12th house of resting, retreating and surrendering to the ebb and flow of your spirit, you’re encouraged to slow down.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Just weeks after turning in an early rough draft, that blood clot near my heart stopped me cold in my tracks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Remarkably, in his 16th MLB season, Chapman is turning in the performance of his career.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Giving up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giving%20up. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share