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 Made for pretty much every texture, the airy foam gives fine-to-medium hair body without weighing it down, while helping define and smooth thicker waves and curls without sacrificing movement. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026 California Highway Patrol The school bus moved to the right to give the oncoming vehicle more room, and that's when the rear of the bus struck a concrete guardrail, officials said. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 One supervisor gave a brief disquisition on the history of corporate personhood, how it was created from a headnote in an 1886 Supreme Court case. — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026 There are lots of brands that have worked to give us beautiful soft mattes that glide onto lids and don’t feel patchy or heavy like their previous counterparts. — Elle Turner, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2026 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
  • The film is being produced by Candle Media’s Candle True Stories with financing from Riot Games and Hypixel Studios, both of which will donate their profits from the film to charity.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Her representatives asked her fans to light a candle in her honor and to donate to her charity, Gloria’s Foundation.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of donate
Verb
  • Fall summons the urge to nest, and as temperatures drop, so does the desire to leave the house.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Government debt makes up more than 200% of its gross domestic product, leaving its finances highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of leave
Verb
  • Sweet Stack offers a variety of flavors, including plain, strawberry, mango, lemon, thai tea and brown sugar.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a Democrat, said Uthmeier likely wasn’t called to testify because the grand jury didn’t want to offer him immunity.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of offer
Verb
  • Sunny Patel’s father, Jitendra (ph), traveled to the region from New York for a spiritual retreat, crossing the border into Tibet to start the trek when the glacier collapsed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it.
    — Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Google will pay an additional $190 million to Entergy for transmission system upgrades needed to serve the project.
    — Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
  • With consumers paying an average of $49,855 for new cars in July 2026, according to Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book, only nine major car brands averaged sale prices under $40,000 in the United States.
    — Keith Laing, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of pay
Verb
  • In the comments of an Instagram upload from Bustle, which also showed Stoermer’s Stories post, fans expressed their disappointment with Euphoria‘s conclusion in the comments.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Mamdani opened the news conference by expressing his condolences to the victims and their families and thanking the officers who responded.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of express
Verb
  • In the later years of her life, Eastman settled in Montana and devoted herself to animal advocacy.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In order to keep playing shows these past few years, Frampton has devoted himself to an intensive workout regime that minimizes the impact of IBM.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of devote
Verb
  • Abel reiterated that the company continues to see value in these investments, which have yielded strong returns for Berkshire as shares of the trading houses have grown substantially since the initial investment six years ago.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The lender then recalculates the repayment schedule, yielding a lower monthly payment.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
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 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All