If you give up something, you stop doing it or having it.
Coastguards had given up all hope of finding the two divers alive. [VP n/v-ing]
...smokers who give up before 30. [VERBPARTICLE]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
2. phrasal verb
If you give up, you decide that you cannot do something and stop trying to do it.
After a fruitless morning sitting at his desk he had given up. [VERBPARTICLE]
4. phrasal verb
If you give up your job, you resign from it.
She gave up her job as an events manager to become a self-employed baker. [VP n/v-ing]
He is thinking of giving up teaching. [VP n/v-ing]
[Also V n P, VP]
5. phrasal verb
If you give up something that you have or that you are entitled to, you allow someone else to have it.
Georgia refuses to give up any territory. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
One of the men with him gave up his place on the bench. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
6. phrasal verb
If you giveyourselfup, you let the police or other people know where you are, after you have been hiding from them.
A 28-year-old man later gave himself up and will appear in court today. [VERB pronoun-reflexive PARTICLE]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
More Synonyms of give up
See full dictionary entry for give
give up in British English
verb(adverb)
1.
to abandon hope (for)
2. (transitive)
to renounce (an activity, belief, etc)
I have given up smoking
3. (transitive)
to relinquish or resign from
he gave up the presidency
4. (tr; usually reflexive)
to surrender
the escaped convict gave himself up
5. (transitive)
to reveal or disclose (information)
6. (intransitive)
to admit one's defeat or inability to do something
7. (tr; often passive or reflexive)
to devote completely (to)
she gave herself up to caring for sick people
give up in American English
1.
to hand over; turn over; surrender
2.
to stop; cease
3.
to admit failure and stop trying
4.
to lose hope for; despair of
5.
to sacrifice; devote wholly
See full dictionary entry for give
Examples of 'give up' in a sentence
give up
Nobody cared enough to give up a cargo to pay their last respects at the crematorium service.
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
He had to give up his own little hidey-hole in the stockroom to clear a space for them to hang their coats.
Butler, Gwendoline COFFIN IN FASHION
Harrell would be there, just waiting, knowing he would not give up or be allowed to give up.
Thomas, Craig THE LAST RAVEN
In other languages
give up
British English: give up /ɡɪv ʌp/ VERB
If you give up something, you stop doing it or having it.
We almost gave up hope.
American English: give up
Arabic: يُقْلِعُ عَن
Brazilian Portuguese: desistir
Chinese: 放弃
Croatian: odustati
Czech: přestat
Danish: give op
Dutch: opgeven
European Spanish: renunciar a
Finnish: luovuttaa
French: abandonner
German: aufgeben Kampf
Greek: εγκαταλείπω
Italian: rinunciare
Japanese: やめる よす
Korean: 포기하다
Norwegian: gi opp
Polish: zaniechać
European Portuguese: desistir
Romanian: a renunța la
Russian: прекращать
Latin American Spanish: renunciar a
Swedish: ge upp
Thai: ยกเลิก
Turkish: vazgeçmek
Ukrainian: припиняти
Vietnamese: từ bỏ
All related terms of 'give up'
give up on
If you give up on something or someone, you decide that you will never succeed in doing what you want to with them, and you stop trying to.
give up to
give a leg up
to help to mount
give it up for
If an audience is asked to give it up for a performer, they are being asked to applaud .
give up the ghost
to stop trying to do something, because you no longer believe that you can succeed
give it up for someone
to cheer or applaud someone
give someone a leg up
to help someone to achieve something and become successful , especially by giving them an advantage that other people do not have
give something a rub-up
to smooth or polish something
to give sb a leg up
to help with climbing
to give up the ghost
If someone gives up the ghost , they stop trying to do something because they no longer believe they can do it successfully. If a machine gives up the ghost , it stops working .
don't give up the day job
If someone tells you not to give up the day job , they are saying that they think you should continue doing what you are good at, rather than trying something new which they think you will fail at.
give something the thumbs up
to show that you approve of something, such as a plan , a suggestion , or an activity, and are willing to accept it
to give someone a bunk-up
to give someone a competitive advantage in order to help them get on better than they would otherwise have done