GIVE, v.t. pret. gave; pp. given. [Heb. to give. The sense of give is generally to pass, or to transfer, that is, to send or throw.]

1. To yield to pressure. The earth gives under the feet.
2. To begin to melt; to thaw; to grow soft, so as to yield to pressure. Bacon.
3. To move; to recede. Now back he gives, then rushes on amain. Daniel's Civil War. To give in, to go back; to give way. [Not in use.] To give in to, to yield assent; to adopt. This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases. Pope. To give off, to cease; to forbear. [Little used.] Locke. To give on, to rush; to fall on. [Not in use.] To give out, to publish; to proclaim. #2. To cease from exertion; to yield; applied to persons. He labored hard, but gave out at last. To give over, to cease; to act no more; to desert. It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame. Addison.

1. To bestow; to confer; to pass or transfer the title or property of a thing to another person without an equivalent or compensation. For generous lords had rather give than pay. Young.
2. To transmit from himself to another by hand, speech or writing; to deliver. The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Gen. iii.
3. To impart; to bestow. Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. Matth. xxv.
4. To communicate; as, to give an opinion; to give counsel or advice; to give notice.
5. To pass or deliver the property of a thing to another for an equivalent; to pay. We give the full value of all we purchase. A dollar is given for a day's labor. What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matth. xvi.
6. To yield; to lend; in the phrase to give ear, which signifies to listen; to hear.
7. To quit; in the phrase to give place, which signifies to withdraw, or retire to make room for another.
8. To confer; to grant. What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? Gen. xv.
9. To expose; to yield to the power of. Give to the wanton winds their flowing hair. Dryden.
10. To grant; to allow; to permit. It is given me once again to behold my friend. Rowe.
11. To afford; to supply; to furnish. Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt-offerings. Exod. x.
12. To empower; to license; to commission. Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. Pope. But this and similar phrases are probably elliptical; give for give power or license. So in the phrases, give me to understand, give me to know, give the flowers to blow; that is, to give power, to enable.
13. To pay or render; as, to give praise, applause or approbation.
14. To render; to pronounce; as, to give sentence or judgment; to give the word of command.
15. To utter; to vent; as, to give a shout.
16. To produce; to show; to exhibit as a product or result; as, the number of men divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship.
17. To cause to exist; to excite in another; as, to give offense or umbrage; to give pleasure.
18. To send forth; to emit; as, a stone gives sparks with steel.
19. To addict; to apply; to devote one's self, followed by the reciprocal pronoun. The soldiers give themselves to plunder. The passive participle is much used in this sense; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study. Give thyself wholly to them. 1 Tim. iv.
20. To resign; to yield up; often followed by up. Who say, I care not, those I give for lost. Herbert.
21. To pledge; as, I give my word that the debt shall be paid.
22. To present for taking or acceptance; as, I give you my hand.
23. To allow or admit by way of supposition. To give away, to alienate the title or property of a thing; to make over to another; to transfer. Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. Atterbury. To give back, to return; to restore. Atterbury. To give forth, to publish; to tell; to report publicly. Hayward. To give the hand, to yield preeminence, as being subordinate or inferior. Hooker. To give in, to allow by way of abatement or deduction from a claim; to yield what may be justly demanded. To give over, to leave; to quit; to cease; to abandon; as, to give over a pursuit. #2. To addict; to attach to; to abandon. When the Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. Grew. #3. To despair of recovery; to believe to be lost or past recovery. The physician had given over the patient, or given the patient over. Addison. #4. To abandon. Milton. To give out, to utter publicly; to report; to proclaim; to publish. It was given out that parliament would assemble in November. #2. To issue; to send forth; to publish. The night was distinguished by the orders which he gave out to his army. Addison. #3. To show; to exhibit in false appearance. Shak. #4. To send out; to emit; as, a substance gives out steam or odors. To give up, to resign; to quit; to yield as hopeless; as, to give up a cause; to give up the argument. #2. To surrender; as, to give up a fortress to an enemy. #3. To relinquish; to cede. In this treaty the Spaniards gave up Louisiana. #4. To abandon; as, to give up all hope. They are given up to believe a lie. #5. To deliver. And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people to the king. 2 Sam. xxiv. To give one's self up, to despair of one's recovery; to conclude to be lost. #2. To resign or devote. Let us give ourselves wholly up to Christ in heart and desire. Taylor. #3. To addict; to abandon. He gave himself up to intemperance. To give way, to yield; to withdraw to make room for. Inferiors should give way to superiors. #2. To fail; to yield to force; to break or fall. The ice gave way, and the horses were drowned. The scaffolding gave way. The wheels or axletree gave way. #3. To recede; to make room for. #4. In seamen's language, give way is an order to a boat's crew to row after ceasing, or to increase their exertions. Mar. Dict.

1. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow.
   
   

   For generous lords had rather give than pay. Young.

2. To give a gift or gifts.
3. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park.
4. To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy.
   
   

   What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? Matt. xvi. 26.

5. To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet.
6. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks.
7. To become soft or moist.
   
   
   [Obs.] Bacon .
8. To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc.
9. To move; to recede.
   
   

   Now back he gives, then rushes on amain. Daniel.

10. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission.
    
    

    It is given me once again to behold my friend. Rowe.

    Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. Pope.

11. To shed tears; to weep.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    Whose eyes do never give
    But through lust and laughter. Shak.

12. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship.
13. To have a misgiving.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    My mind gives ye're reserved
    To rob poor market women. J. Webster.

14. To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study.
15. To open; to lead.
    
    
    [A Gallicism]

    This, yielding, gave into a grassy walk. Tennyson.

    To give back, to recede; to retire; to retreat.

    They gave back and came no farther. Bunyan.

    -- To give in, to yield; to succumb; to acknowledge one's self beaten; to cease opposition.

    The Scots battalion was enforced to give in. Hayward.

    This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases. Pope.

    -- To give off, to cease; to forbear. [Obs.] Locke. -- To give on or upon. (a) To rush; to fall upon. [Obs.] (b) To have a view of; to be in sight of; to overlook; to look toward; to open upon; to front; to face. [A Gallicism: cf. Fr. donner sur.]

    Rooms which gave upon a pillared porch. Tennyson.

    The gloomy staircase on which the grating gave. Dickens.

    -- To give out. (a) To expend all one's strength. Hence: (b) To cease from exertion; to fail; to be exhausted; as, my feet being to give out; the flour has given out. -- To give over, to cease; to discontinue; to desist.

    It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame. Addison.

    -- To give up, to cease from effort; to yield; to despair; as, he would never give up.

16. To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason] -- used principally in the passive form given.
17. To allow or admit by way of supposition.
    
    

    I give not heaven for lost. Mlton.

18. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.
    
    

    I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover. Sheridan.

19. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain.
20. To pledge; as, to give one's word.
21. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc.
    
    

    But there the duke was given to understand
    That in a gondola were seen together
    Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica. Shak.

    To give away, to make over to another; to transfer.

    Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. Atterbury.

    -- To give back, to return; to restore. Atterbury. -- To give the bag, to cheat. [Obs.]

    I fear our ears have given us the bag. J. Webster.

    -- To give birth to. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea. -- To give chase, to pursue. -- To give ear to. See under Ear. -- To give forth, to give out; to publish; to tell. Hayward. -- To give ground. See under Ground, n. -- To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith. -- To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage. -- To give the head. See under Head, n. -- To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party. -- To give the lie to (a person), to tell (him) that he lies. -- To give line. See under Line. -- To give off, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc. -- To give one's self away, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.] -- To give out. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare.

    One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. Shak.

    Give out you are of Epidamnum. Shak.

    (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors. -- To give over. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self).

    The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. Grew.

    -- To give place, to withdraw; to yield one's claim. -- To give points. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.] -- To give rein. See under Rein, n. -- To give the sack. Same as To give the bag. -- To give and take. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc. -- To give time (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. Abbott. -- To give the time of day, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as "good morning." "good evening", etc. -- To give tongue, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs. -- To give up. (a) To abandon; to surrender. "Don't give up the ship."

    He has . . . given up
    For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. Shak.

    (b) To make public; to reveal.

    I'll not state them
    By giving up their characters. Beau. *** Fl.

    (c) (Used also reflexively.) -- To give up the ghost. See under Ghost. -- To give one's self up, to abandon hope] to despair; to surrender one's self. -- To give way. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent. -- To give way together, to row in time; to keep stroke.

    Syn. -- To Give, Confer, Grant. To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior.