Meaning & use
give up
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Meanings
verbphrasal verb
To stop trying to do something because it seems too hard or hopeless.
Grammar: No object when used alone: Don't give up. With an object it takes the thing: give up the search.
Patterns
- give up
- give up on something
- give up doing something
She was tired but refused to give up.
Don't give up on your dream just yet.
He gave up trying to fix the old radio.
verbphrasal verb
To stop doing or having a habit or activity.
Grammar: Takes an object, often a gerund: give up smoking.
Patterns
- give up something
- give up doing something
My uncle gave up smoking last year.
I might give up coffee for a month.
She gave up her hobby when work got busy.
verbphrasal verb
To hand something over or let someone else have it.
Grammar: Takes an object, with the object before or after up: give up your seat, give your seat up.
Patterns
- give up something to someone
- give something up
He gave up his seat to an older woman.
The prisoners gave up their weapons.
She had to give up her place in the queue.
verbphrasal verbinformal
To admit defeat, or admit that you cannot solve something.
Grammar: Often used in short replies: I give up.
Patterns
- I give up
- give up on someone
What is the answer? I give up.
After three hours, we gave up and called a plumber.
The doctors haven't given up on him.
Word forms
| third person singular | gives up |
|---|---|
| past tense | gave up |
| past participle | given up |
| -ing form | giving up |
Common combinations
- give up hope
- They never gave up hope of finding her.
- give up smoking
- He decided to give up smoking.
- give up on
- Don't give up on your goals.
- give up your seat
- She gave up her seat to a stranger.
- give up without a fight
- The team did not give up without a fight.
- refuse to give up
- The climbers refused to give up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quit
- Quit is more abrupt and often used for jobs, while give up suggests losing the will to continue.
- surrender
- Surrender implies yielding to an opponent, whereas give up can be personal and without any enemy.
- abandon
- Abandon suggests leaving something behind completely and is more serious than give up.
- stop
- Stop is neutral and does not suggest that effort or difficulty is the reason.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: give up or give in?
give up vs give in
Give in means to yield to pressure or a request, while give up means to stop trying or let go.
Practice
The doctor told him to ___ smoking to improve his health.
Choose one answer.
Give up smoking means to stop the habit. Give in means to yield to pressure, so it does not fit with an activity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “give up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.