give-up

Give up most commonly means to quit—to stop trying.

Sometimes, it means to stop doing something, such as a habit or activity, as in I want to give up smoking. Close synonyms for this sense are quit and stop. More formal words cease and abstain. An informal term is swear off.

In specific situations, such as a game or competition, to give up is to resign, retire, withdraw, or, more informally, to bow out. Giving up in these cases can be seen as a form of surrender.

Give up is also used in a number of other ways.

To give up information is to reveal or disclose it, especially when forced to.

To give up a possession is to relinquish it.

To give up a person usually means to turn them over to the authorities or reveal their location.

Someone who doesn’t give up easily might be described as determined, tenacious, unyielding, dogged, or steadfast.

To give up power, especially an official position, is to abdicate, relinquish the role, or, step down. The word abdicate is quite formal; step down is informal.

Give up has a lot of different uses. Most of them involve quitting or relinquishing something.

Here are some examples of give up in a sentence:

• We can’t just give up—we need to keep trying. 
• I’m going to give up on trying to write the essay for tonight.
• She decided to give up sweets for a month.
• The double agent gave up the location of the documents. 
• He will never give up power unless he is forced to.