v. t. [ imp. Gave p. p. Given p. pr. & vb. n. Giving. ] [ OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. geðan, OHG. geban, G. geben, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth. giban. Cf. Gift, n. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

For generous lords had rather give than pay. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? Matt. xvi. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is given me once again to behold my friend. Rowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Logic & Math.) 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To allow or admit by way of supposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

I give not heaven for lost. Mlton. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. [ 1913 Webster ]

I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover. Sheridan. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. To pledge; as, to give one's word. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

But there the duke was given to understand
That in a gondola were seen together
Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

To give away, to make over to another; to transfer. [ 1913 Webster ] Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. Atterbury. --
To give back, to return; to restore. Atterbury. --
To give the bag, to cheat. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ] I fear our ears have given us the bag. J. Webster. --
To give birth to. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea. --
To give chase, to pursue. --
To give ear to. See under Ear. --
To give forth, to give out; to publish; to tell. Hayward. --
To give ground. See under Ground, n. --
To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith. --
To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage. --
To give the head. See under Head, n. --
To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party. --
To give the lie to (a person), to tell (him) that he lies. --
To give line. See under Line. --
To give off, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc. --
To give one's self away, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [ Colloq. ] --
To give out. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare. [ 1913 Webster ] One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] Give out you are of Epidamnum. Shak. (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors. --
To give over. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self). [ 1913 Webster ] The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. Grew. --
To give place, to withdraw; to yield one's claim. --
To give points. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [ Colloq. ] --
To give rein. See under Rein, n. --
To give the sack. Same as To give the bag. --
To give and take. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc. --
To give time (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. Abbott. --
To give the time of day, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as “good morning.” “good evening”, etc. --
To give tongue, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs. --
To give up. (a) To abandon; to surrender. “Don't give up the ship.” [ 1913 Webster ] He has . . . given up
For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. Shak. (b) To make public; to reveal. [ 1913 Webster ] I'll not state them
By giving up their characters. Beau. & Fl. (c) (Used also reflexively.) --
To give up the ghost. See under Ghost. --
To give one's self up, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self. --
To give way. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent. --
To give way together, to row in time; to keep stroke.

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To give a gift or gifts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To become soft or moist. [ Obs. ] Bacon . [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To move; to recede. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now back he gives, then rushes on amain. Daniel. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To shed tears; to weep. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose eyes do never give
But through lust and laughter. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To have a misgiving. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

My mind gives ye're reserved
To rob poor market women. J. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To open; to lead. [ A Gallicism ] [ 1913 Webster ]

This, yielding, gave into a grassy walk. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

To give back, to recede; to retire; to retreat. [ 1913 Webster ] They gave back and came no farther. Bunyan. --
To give in, to yield; to succumb; to acknowledge one's self beaten; to cease opposition. [ 1913 Webster ] The Scots battalion was enforced to give in. Hayward. [ 1913 Webster ] This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases. Pope. --
To give off, to cease; to forbear. [ Obs. ] Locke. --
To give on or
To give upon. (a) To rush; to fall upon. [ Obs. ] (b) To have a view of; to be in sight of; to overlook; to look toward; to open upon; to front; to face. [ A Gallicism: cf. Fr. donner sur. ] [ 1913 Webster ] Rooms which gave upon a pillared porch. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ] The gloomy staircase on which the grating gave. Dickens. --
To give out. (a) To expend all one's strength. Hence: (b) To cease from exertion; to fail; to be exhausted; as, my feet being to give out; the flour has given out. --
To give over, to cease; to discontinue; to desist. [ 1913 Webster ] It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame. Addison. --
To give up, to cease from effort; to yield; to despair; as, he would never give up. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (basketball) A maneuver in which one offensive player passes the ball to another, then runs toward the basket to take a return pass. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

p. p. & a. from Give, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Math. & Logic) Granted; assumed; supposed to be known; set forth as a known quantity, relation, or premise. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Disposed; inclined; -- used with an adv.; as, virtuously given. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Stated; fixed; as, in a given time. [ 1913 Webster ]

Given name, the Christian name, or name given by one's parents or guardians, as distinguished from the surname, which is inherited. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the quality of being granted as a supposition; of being acknowledged or assumed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who gives; a donor; a bestower; a grantor; one who imparts or distributes. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is the giver, and not the gift, that engrosses the heart of the Christian. Kollock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. [ See Give, n. ] Fetters. [ 1913 Webster ]