Meaning & use
not giving up
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
continuing to try at something difficult instead of stopping or quitting.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase in the -ing form; the full verb is 'give up', and 'not' goes before the -ing form.
Patterns
- not giving up on something
- not giving up hope
- keep not giving up
She is not giving up on her dream of becoming a nurse.
Even after three failed attempts, he is not giving up.
Not giving up is the hardest part of learning a new language.
phrasefixed phrase
refusing to let go of a belief, hope, or person you care about.
Grammar: Often followed by 'on' plus a person or thing: not giving up on someone.
Patterns
- not giving up on someone
- not giving up on yourself
His parents are not giving up on him, even when he makes mistakes.
She is not giving up on the idea that things will get better.
Common combinations
- not giving up hope
- The rescue team is not giving up hope of finding survivors.
- not giving up on a dream
- He is not giving up on his dream of playing professional football.
- not giving up easily
- She is not giving up easily, no matter how many times she fails.
- not giving up without a fight
- The workers are not giving up without a fight for better pay.
- keep not giving up
- The coach told them to keep not giving up until the final whistle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- persistent
- Describes a person who keeps trying; 'not giving up' describes the action itself, so the grammar is different.
- determined
- Focuses on a strong decision to succeed, while 'not giving up' focuses on continuing rather than stopping.
- tenacious
- More formal and stronger than 'not giving up', often used in writing about people who refuse to quit.
Opposites
Word family
- give up phrasal verb
- To stop trying or stop doing something.
- give in phrasal verb
- To stop resisting and agree, often after pressure.
- give up on phrasal verb
- To stop hoping for or believing in someone or something.
Commonly confused: not giving up or giving in? not giving up or give up?
not giving up vs giving in
'Giving in' means agreeing or surrendering to pressure, while 'giving up' means stopping your effort completely.
not giving up vs give up
The base form has no '-ing'; use 'not giving up' when the verb is part of a continuous or gerund phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'not giving up' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Not giving up' needs the -ing form after 'is', and 'on' comes before the thing you keep trying for. Option 1 follows this pattern. Option 2 uses the base form 'give', which cannot follow 'is' here. Option 3 is missing 'is'. Option 4 puts 'on' in the wrong place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “not giving up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.