give over

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

1. archaictransitiveTo give up, hand over, surrender (something).

   Diocletian, the emperor, was so much affected with it that he gave over his sceptre and turned gardener.

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 2, member 4

   2 more examples

   As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over [the fight] to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   Until 1961 the line was electrified only as far as Rickmansworth, where steam locomotives were attached or detached in place of electric ones. In the same year the stations north of Amersham were given over to British Rail.

   2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 76

2. transitiveTo entrust (something) to another.

   She gave the deeds over to the solicitor.

3. transitiveTo devote or resign to a particular purpose or activity; to yield completely.

   He gave himself over to a monastic life.

   2 more examples

   The factory has been entirely given over to aircraft manufacture.

   For, as indeed was very natural in such case, all government of the Poor by the Rich has long ago been given over to Supply-and-demand, Laissez-faire and such like, and universally declared to be ‘impossible’.

   1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. II, Gospel of Mammonism”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker)

4. transitiveTo quit, to abandon.

   Lord, give over this wrastling. […] Tempt not the fates by another bout.

   1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 22

   1 more example

   If the bodies continued missing until Sunday, all hope would be given over, and the funerals would be preached on that morning.

   1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, page 89

5. IrelandNorthern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalintransitiveTo give up; abandon; stop.

   Give over with your nonsense, will you!

   5 more examples

   While he was declaring the truth, a constable came in with his great staff, and bid him give over, and come down: but William Penn held on, declaring truth in the power of God.

   1681, George Fox, A journal or historical account of the life, travels, sufferings, […], published 1831, page 247

   Amelia, I wish you would give over with your reading and your information, it's not for ladies to be literary; people don't like it, you silly thing!

   1890, Mary Taylor, Janet Murray, Miss Miles: Or a Tale of Yorkshire Life 60 Years Ago, page 212

   She was getting very heavy, and could run but slowly. Once, in the pursuit of a rabbit, which she ordinarily would have caught with ease, she gave over and lay down and rested.

   1906 May–October, Jack London, White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC

   My mother told him to give over and let me alone, and said she was sure it would be a lovely suit, and that Aunt Jack would never buy poor material, but stuff that would last forever.

   1962, Brendan Behan, Brendan Behan's island: an Irish sketch-book, page 151

   According to Homer, the rest of the Trojan army drew away from Troy pretending to retreat and give over with the siege in order to confuse the Trojans.

   2005, Anatoly T. Fomenko, History: Fiction Or Science?, page 245