Meaning & use
a given
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Something that is accepted as true or certain and does not need to be discussed or proved.
Grammar: Usually used in the phrase 'take something as a given' or after 'be'. It acts like a noun.
Patterns
- take something as a given
- be a given
- accept something as a given
In this company, long hours are a given during the busy season.
She took it as a given that her friends would support her, so the criticism surprised her.
Good internet access is a given in most modern offices.
adjectivebefore a noun
Already decided, fixed, or known in advance.
Grammar: Used before a noun: at a given time, under given conditions. It is not usually used after a verb in this sense.
Patterns
- at a given time
- under given conditions
- a given amount
At any given moment, thousands of flights are in the air.
The experiment must be repeated under the same given conditions.
You can only spend a given amount of money once.
Common combinations
- take something as a given
- Many students take free education as a given until they study abroad.
- be a given
- Rain in April is a given in this region.
- at any given time
- At any given time, the website has about a thousand users online.
- a given amount
- The recipe uses a given amount of sugar, so don't add more.
Synonyms and how they differ
- assumption
- An assumption is a belief you accept without proof; 'a given' is stronger, suggesting something everyone agrees is certain.
- certainty
- A certainty is something that is definitely true; 'a given' often suggests it is simply accepted without discussion.
- fixed
- Fixed means set and not changing; 'a given' in the adjective sense can mean the same, but it is used mostly in phrases like 'at a given time'.
Opposites
Word family
- give verb
- To hand something to someone or provide it.
- given preposition
- When you consider something: Given the weather, we stayed home.
- given name noun
- The name your parents give you at birth, as opposed to your family name.
Commonly confused: a given or given?
a given vs given
'Given' alone is often a preposition meaning 'considering' (Given the cost, we waited). 'A given' is a noun phrase meaning something accepted as true.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'a given' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'A given' means something accepted as certain, so 'travel is a given' fits. Option 0 wrongly uses 'given' as an adjective before 'book' in a way that doesn't mean 'already decided'. Option 2 uses it as a verb, and option 3 uses it as a concrete noun for a place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a given”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.