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give up

to stop trying; to quit

In Phrasal Verbs

In more detail

1. (verb) to stop trying to do something because you think you cannot succeed

2. (verb) to stop doing something; to quit a habit or activity

3. (verb) to surrender or hand over something to someone else

Examples

• 1. I was stuck on the puzzle for hours, but finally I gave up.
• 2. She gave up smoking last year.
• 3. The police demanded that the criminal give up his weapons.

How to use give up

Give up is a phrasal verb used to describe stopping an effort, habit, or possession either permanently or temporarily. It carries a sense of defeat or resignation when referring to stopping effort, but can be neutral when describing quitting a habit or surrendering something. It is more informal than synonyms like abandon or renounce, and is commonly used in everyday spoken and written English.

Common phrases

• give up smoking
• give up hope
• give up trying
• give up a habit
• never give up
• give up on someone

Synonyms

abandon · quit · surrender · cease · renounce

Opposites

persevere · persist · continue

Word family

giveup (noun) · given up (adjective)

A common mistake

Learners often forget that give up requires the particle 'up' and may say 'give in' when they mean to stop trying, though 'give in' actually means to surrender to pressure or agree against one's preference.

Nearby in Phrasal Verbs

get by, get over, give in, go over, go through, hold back

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained