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to give away

to give away

233 2.0
Hand something to someone without asking for money
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡɪv əˈweɪ/
translation icon : regalar
  • We gave away stickers and badges.
  • give away possessions
  • give away money
  • give away to friends

And again, we are giving away this MacBook Air.

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Examples

  • We're also giving away one on ones with me.

    Matthew Hussey

  • We gave away a lot of money last year.

    Friends with Money (2006)

  • We're actually going to give away some money here to help.

    The Drew Barrymore Show

  • People think that giving away money is an easy job.

  • So I love being able to give away what I call the gift of rest.

    The Rich Dad Channel

  • Susan, Mrs. Random is going to give away a million dollars.

    Bringing Up Baby (1938)

  • Yes, it's Easy Money, Charlie Lincoln, and I'm here to give away money.

    Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

  • And again, we are giving away this MacBook Air.

    Colin and Samir

  • Then make five small baskets and give them away to the oldest women members in the village.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • We are going to give away free tickets to the concert next week.

Synonyms

to give
vsto give away
∞ 1.0

To hand something to someone, for example a present

focuses specifically on making a free gift without expecting payment
to donate
vsto give away
457 2.7

Give money, things, or time to help a charity

is a general gift to anyone without expecting payment
to hand out
vsto give away
165 1.8

To give something to people in a group

is about single gifts given without expecting anything in return
to give out
vsto give away
143 2.3

To hand things to several people

applies to one person gifting something freely rather than mass distribution
to pass on
vsto give away
134 2.7

To give something to another person, often information or a message

emphasizes giving as a gratuitous gift rather than just passing on
to bestow
vsto give away
  • Formal
61 5.6

Give something to someone as an honor or gift

is an everyday act of giving rather than a ceremonial presentation
to dole
vsto give away
38 4.7

To give out small amounts of money or food to people in need

is a gift action without the sense of rationing or need
to dole out
vsto give away
34 4.0

To give small amounts of something to several people over time

is a one-time gift without implying small or repeated portions
to dish out
vsto give away
  • Informal
28 3.4

To give out things to several people, often food or advice

is a voluntary gift focused on generosity for personal benefit
to give the shirt off someone's back
vsto give away
  • Informal
1 7.1

So generous that they would give almost everything to help others

describes ordinary gifting without the extreme selflessness

Antonyms

to keep
∞ 1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

to sell
∞ 1.0

To give something to someone for money

How Generous

to bestow
  • Formal
61 5.6
to donate
457 2.7
to give away
233 2.0
to share
∞ 1.0
to lend
262 1.0

Surface Forms

give away infinitive
gave away past
given away past participle
giving away present participle
gives away third person singular

Morphology

give + away

The core sense of transfer in 'give' plus movement/removal in 'away' supports a reading of handing someone over, so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer a meaning involving transfer of the daughter. However, the specific ritualized sense 'to present a bride to the bridegroom' is culturally specific and reflects a conventionalized phrasal-verb use that may not be fully predictable from the parts alone, so some prior exposure or cultural knowledge is needed.

Etymology

Give away is the image of handing something free to another person. You give it and send it away, so it becomes theirs, which is why it means 'to make a gift'.