01 v. t. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to …
imp.
Gave; p. p.
Given; p. pr. & vb. n.
Giving
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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.
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2.
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.
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3.
To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks.
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4.
To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc.
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6.
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.
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7.
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.
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8.
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.(Logic & Math.)
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9.
To allow or admit by way of supposition.“I give not heaven for lost.” — Mlton.
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10.
To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.“I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover.” — Sheridan.
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11.
To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain.
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12.
To pledge; as, to give one's word.
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13.
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.
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14.
To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park.“Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves.” — Atterbury.“I fear our ears have given us the bag.” — J. Webster.“One that gives out himself Prince Florizel.” — Shak.“Give out you are of Epidamnum.” — Shak.“The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice.” — Grew.“He has . . . given up For certain drops of salt, your city Rome.” — Shak.“I'll not state them By giving up their characters.” — Beau. & Fl.
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.