give up

give upphrasal verb

Give up means stop: stop trying, stop doing something, stop fighting, or stop keeping something.

1. stop tryingstop trying to do something because it is too difficult or seems impossible

   transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep] verb + -ing form [V + -ing]

   • I give up. What is the answer? V + adv/prep
   • Don't give up; you are almost there. V + adv/prep
   • After an hour, we gave up trying to find the keys. V + -ing
   • The searchers refused to give up.

   Collocations

   adverb + verb never give up, finally gave up, eventually gave up

   verb + adverb give up easily, give up completely

   verb + noun give up hope, give up the search, give up the idea

   Synonyms quit (quit is the everyday American word)

   Antonyms persevere (persevere is formal)

   Compare give in (give in means to stop refusing and agree, or to stop fighting)

   1. astop believing that a person or a plan will succeed or improve; used with on

      transitive [T] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

      • Her parents never gave up on her. V + prep + obj
      • Don't give up on the plan yet.
      • The doctors had almost given up on him when he began to recover.

2. a habitstop doing or having something that you did regularly, especially something that is bad for you

   Before a verb, give up takes the -ing form: give up smoking. The form give up to smoke is wrong. A noun object can go on either side of up, but a pronoun must go between: give it up.

   transitive [T] verb + -ing form [V + -ing] verb + adverb + object [V + adv + obj] verb + object + adverb [V + obj + adv]

   • Ravi gave up smoking last year. V + -ing
   • I am trying to give up sugar. V + adv + obj
   • She tried to give it up, but she could not. V + obj + adv (a pronoun object goes before up)
   • He gave up meat for health reasons.

   Collocations

   verb + noun give up smoking, give up drinking, give up sugar, give up meat, give up coffee

   Synonyms quit; drop

3. stop fightingstop fighting or hiding and let yourself be caught or beaten

   transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep] verb + object + adverb [V + obj + adv]

   • After a long chase, the thief gave up. V + adv/prep
   • The two men gave themselves up to the police. V + obj + adv (with a reflexive pronoun)
   • Give up! There is nowhere left to run.

   Collocations

   phrase give yourself up, give up without a fight

   Synonyms surrender (surrender is more formal and is the usual word in war)

4. let someone havestop having, using, or keeping something so that someone else can have it, or because you have no real choice

   transitive [T] verb + adverb + object [V + adv + obj] verb + object + adverb [V + obj + adv]

   • Sam gave up his seat to an elderly woman. V + adv + obj
   • She gave up a good job to look after her father.
   • They had to give up their apartment when the rent went up.
   • He gives up his weekends to help at the shelter.

   Collocations

   verb + noun give up your seat, give up your job, give up your time, give up your place, give up your freedom

   Synonyms sacrifice (sacrifice is stronger and more formal)