gave up

past tense of give up
1
as in relinquished
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
as in indulged
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly even in the darkest days of her troubled marriage, she refused to give herself up to feelings of utter hopelessness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gave up In seven innings, Yamamoto gave up one run on four hits, all of them singles. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Just weeks before trial, Thompson made the decision opposed by some of the victims’ families to negotiate a plea deal with Kohberger rather than take the case to trial, which gave up the chance at the death penalty. — Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Oct. 2026 He was targeted 14 times and gave up 11 receptions Sunday night. — Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026 The crews gave up hours later after the shark repeatedly swam past or dived to avoid the boats, remaining inside the canal. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Shota Imanaga went five for the Cubs and gave up his only run in the fourth on a single by Augustin Ramirez that scored Stowers. — Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026 In the seventh, Rangers reliever Robert Garcia gave up an RBI double to Benge and couldn’t get out of the inning. — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2026 Those scenes play as if the screenwriters gave up on trying to resolve the twisty plot, instead just making their characters tell all, leaving the film’s denouement much less engrossing than its setup. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 After a half hour, Burden said Conahan gave up on strangling him and left him tied to the tree. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gave up
Verb
  • Tate Nagy relinquished punt return duties to Keaton Kubecka Saturday.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Suwarso relinquished his standard four-ticket allocation for the game.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Why is private philanthropy hesitant to step in to cover underfunded programs that have been abandoned by many governments?
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Abigail’s affair is briefly touched on and ultimately abandoned.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Mark died last year, at sixty-two, from cancer; Bragg’s older brother, Sam, had also succumbed to the disease a few years earlier, at sixty-four.
    — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Others succumbed to their wounds or the conditions endured in captivity.
    — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • My daughter was enchanted by the Balinese rice-on-the-forehead ritual for good fortune that is a part of the arrival, and the front desk staff happily indulged her request to do it again—multiple times a day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • When Maserati brought me back, exhilaration turned to fixation, which Weiss happily indulged by bringing me back for a third time to be coached by Rod Macleod.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Indianapolis opened the week tied for 29th in points allowed and last in yards surrendered.
    — Elise Devlin, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Wolf has now surrendered 12 goals in his first two starts, both against Seattle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Four days after Tate took up her post, Burnette, the first Black woman to helm the institution, quit.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Reporting from The Sacramento Bee found the restaurant closed due to failure to pay its rent or quit notice.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Two Black men are rendered in graphite, eyes closed, mouths open with yearning, disclosing sighs of ecstasy or prayer.
    — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In 1991, Saint Laurent closed his fall-winter 1991 Rive Gauche runway show with a finale parade rendered almost entirely in gold fabrics.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Gave up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gave%20up. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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