give away

present singular third person gives away · participle present giving away · past gave away · participle past given away

1. transitiveTo make a gift of (something).

   I didn't like that book, so I gave it away.

   1 more example

   Some people gave away their savings, assuming that, within a few years, money would be useless or everyone on Earth would be dead.

   2024 March 18, Andrew Marantz, “О.К., Doomer”, in The New Yorker, page 46

2. broadlyinformaltransitiveTo sell very cheaply.

   This was dramatically illustrated by the market for commercial real estate in New York during 1993, which was said to be "so bad that they're giving it away".

   2019, David A. Ness, The Impact of Overbuilding on People and the Planet, page 36

3. transitiveTo relinquish control over.

   This issue marks a first of its kind for St. Louis Magazine: We've given away our cover feature.[…] In early summer, our editors[…] posed a collective question: What if we asked some[…] citizens what the future should look like? We'll give each of them[…] 200 words of space in the magazine[…].

   2010 September, Stephen Schenkenberg, "Many Big Ideas, One Big Transition", St. Louis magazine, ISSN 1090-5723, volume 16, issue 9, page 16

4. transitiveTo formally hand over a bride to the bridegroom; often by her father.

   Who giveth away this woman to this man in Holy matrimony?

5. reflexivesometimestransitiveTo unintentionally reveal a secret or divulge undisclosed information; to betray or expose someone.

   He gave himself away with a stupid lie.

   3 more examples

   He gave away his hiding place when he accidentally sneezed.

   But now it's just another show / You leave 'em laughing when you go / And if you care, don't let them know / Don't give yourself away

   1968, Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides, Now”

   Hear footsteps creak the floor / The shadows give away / Someone outside the door / Won't let 'em in

   2009, “A Looking In View”, in Jerry Cantrell (lyrics), Black Gives Way To Blue, performed by Alice in Chains, Track 5

6. transitiveTo concede an advantage in weight, time, height etc.

   Despite giving away twenty pounds in weight, the challenger found a knock-out blow in the second round.

7. hobbiesTo concede.

   England gave away six penalties in the first 15 minutes and were lucky to still have 15 men on the pitch, but Kvirikashvili missed two very makeable penalties in quick succession as Georgia were unable to take advantage of significant territorial advantage.

   2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport