–noun

1.	something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

2.	the act of giving.

3.	something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned: Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.

4.	a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent: the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.

–verb (used with object)

5.	to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.

6.	to present (someone) with a gift: just the thing to gift the newlyweds.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow: to give a birthday present to someone.

2.	to hand to someone: Give me that plate, please.

3.	to place in someone's care: If you give me your coat, I'll put it in the closet.

4.	to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone: Give me a chance.

5.	to impart or communicate: to give advice; to give a cold to someone.

6.	to set forth or show; present; offer: He gave no reason for his lateness.

7.	to pay or transfer possession 5f7 to another in exchange for something: They gave five dollars for the picture. He gave me the car for $800.

8.	to furnish, provide, or proffer: to give evidence; Let me give you my umbrella before you go out in this rain.

9.	to provide as an entertainment or social function: to give a New Year's Eve party.

10.	to deal or administer: to give a blow to someone; to give medicine to a patient.

11.	to put forth, emit, or utter; issue: to give a cry; to give a command.

12.	to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usually used passively): These facts being given, the argument makes sense.

13.	to produce, yield, or afford: to give good results; 9 × 8 gives 72; The hen gave six eggs a week.

14.	to make, do, or perform 3e8 : to give a start; to give a lurch.

15.	to perform or present publicly: to give a play; to give a concert.

16.	to cause; be responsible for (usually fol. by an infinitive): They gave me to understand that you would be there.

17.	to care about something to the value or extent of (something fanciful): I don't give a hoot about his opinion.

18.	to relinquish or sacrifice: to give one's life for a cause.

19.	to convey or transmit: Give Aunt Betty my love.

20.	to assign or allot: Give every man a full ration of biscuits. They gave him the name of “Joseph.”

21.	to bestow (the object of one's choice) upon, as if by providence: Give me the wide open spaces anytime.

22.	to be connected with, as by a telephone operator: Give me 235-7522.

23.	to present to an audience, as an entertainer, speaker, or act: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas.

24.	to attribute or ascribe: to give the devil his due; After long study the critic gave the unsigned work to a minor impressionist.

25.	to cause or occasion: She gives me a pain in the neck.

26.	to apply fully or freely: He gives his free time to golf.

27.	to award by verdict or after consideration: A decision was given for the defendant.

28.	to inflict as a punishment on another; punish by; impose a sentence of: The judge gave him five years.

29.	to pledge, offer as a pledge, or execute and deliver: He gave her his promise. Can you give bond?

30.	to propose as the subject of a toast (fol. by an indirect object): Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country.

31.	to bear to a man; deliver (fol. by an indirect object): She gave him a beautiful baby boy.

32.	to sire upon a woman; father (fol. by an indirect object): He gave her two children in the first five years of marriage.

33.	to concede or grant, as a point in an argument.

–verb (used without object)

34.	to make a gift or gifts; contribute: to give to the United Way.

35.	to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise: We can't negotiate until each side is willing to give on some points.

36.	to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc.: A horsehair mattress doesn't give much.

37.	to collapse; break down; fall apart; fail: The 669 antique chair gave when I sat on it.

38.	to be warm and open in relationships with other persons: a withdrawn person who doesn't know how to give.

39.	Informal. to divulge information: Okay now, give! What happened?

40.	to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead (usually fol. by on, onto, etc.): The window gives on the sea. This door gives onto the hallway.

–noun

41.	the quality or state of being resilient; springiness.

—Verb phrases

42.	give away, a. to give as a present; bestow. b. to present (the bride) to the bridegroom in a marriage ceremony. c. to expose or betray (a person). d. to reveal (a confidence or secret, hidden motives, t 9ed rue feelings, etc.): That remark gave away his real feelings.

43.	give back, to return (something), as to its owner; restore: You haven't given back the books you borrowed from me.

44.	give birth to. birth (def. 10).

45.	give in, a. to acknowledge defeat; yield. b. to hand in; deliver: Please give in your timecards.

46.	give of, to devote or contribute generously of: to give of oneself; to give of one's abundance.

47.	give off, to put forth; emit: The gardenia gives off a very strong fragrance.

48.	give out, a. to send out; emit. b. to make public; announce. c. to distribute; issue. d. to become exhausted. e. to become used up; fail: The fuel gave out. f. to do or express something, esp. unrestrainedly or easily: to give out with a song.

4 3e8 9.

give over, a. to put into the care of; transfer: She gave over all her property to her daughter. b. to put an end to; stop: They will never give over their impossible dreams. c. to indulge in without restraint: She gave herself over to tears. d. to devote to a specified activity: The day was given over to relaxing in the sun.

50.

give up, a. to abandon hope; despair. b. to desist from; renounce: to give up smoking. c. to surrender; relinquish. d. to devote (oneself) entirely to: She gave herself up to her job and seldom saw her old friends. e. South Midland U.S. to consider; deem: She's given up to be the kindest woman around here.

—Idioms

51.	give and take, a. to compromise in order to cooperate: A willingness to give and take is important for success in marriage. b. to exchange ideas: an informal meeting in which there would be opportunities to give and take.

52.	give battle. battle 1 (def. 10).

53.	give ground, to yield before superior force, as of arms or of reasoning.

54.	give it to, Informal. to reprimand or punish: His father really gave it to him for coming home so late.

55.	give or take, plus or minus a specified amount; more or less: It will cost $20, give or take a dollar or two.

56.	give rise to. rise (def. 55).

57.	give way. way (def. 26).