Phrasal Verbs With "Give"
🔹Give up
= stop trying / quit (a habit or activity)
= To abandon an attempt or stop doing something (often something difficult or addictive).
Examples:
She finally gave up trying to learn the guitar.
Don’t give up! You’re almost there.
✍️Note: When followed by a gerund (verb-ing), it means “quit the habit”: give up + smoking / drinking / eating junk food.
🔹Give in
= surrender / agree after resisting
To stop resisting pressure and finally accept or agree.
Examples:
The parents gave in and bought their child the expensive toy.
I didn’t want to go, but she persuaded me and I gave in.
✍️Common collocation: give in to something/someone = yield to pressure.
🔹Give out
= distribute / hand out
To give something to many people, usually free items.
Examples:
The teacher gave out the test papers.
Volunteers are giving out water to runners.
✍️Another meaning: to stop working (become exhausted)
→ The old car finally gave out on the highway.
🔹Give away
= donate / reveal (a secret)
Meaning:
1) To give something away for free (especially to charity).
2) To accidentally reveal information.
Examples:
Don’t give away the ending of the movie! (reveal)
She gave away all her books when she moved house. (donate)
🔹Give off
= emit / release (smell, light, heat, etc.)
To produce or send out something (usually gas, smell, light, or energy).
Examples:
The oven gives off a lot of heat.
That chemical gives off a strong odor.
🔹Give back
= return something
To return an item or favor to someone.
Examples:
I’ll give you back the money next week.
She wants to give back to the community (metaphorical: help others because she received help).
Quick Tips
✍️Separable vs. Inseparable:
Some are separable (give something back / give it back), others are not (give up smoking — not “give smoking up”).
✍️Context is key:
Many of these verbs have multiple meanings depending on the situation.
✍️Common mistake:
Don’t confuse give up (quit) with give in (surrender).