to give it up
683
3.7
- phrasal verb
:
dejar de (hacer algo)
- So I gave it up and I haven't been back for three years.
- never give up
- give up control
- means giving up
And so I gave, I gave it up end of July last year.
- And so I gave, I gave it up end of July last year.
- But you know, they're they won't give it up.
- If you have a reversible cause like smoking, please give it up and it may just help you hear loss.
- The first step is you have to give something up.
- And then most of them not all, having the courage to give it up.
- But because you've lived the high end life, it's hard to give it up because you know how to get there.
- What? What are you working hard? If it's hard, give it up.
- Right now there's some benefits you're going to miss, but would you want to give it up or would you want to keep your phone?
- And yeah, he was like, I'm, I'm just giving it up.
Examples
-
After years of smoking, he finally decided to give it up for the sake of his health.
-
But because you've lived the high end life, it's hard to give it up because you know how to get there.
-
Some things are just like, you know, you got to know when to kind of give it up, you know?
-
Why did you give it up?
-
Would you give it up?
-
You must give it up.
-
I'm not asking you to give it up.
-
You may encounter criticism for pursuing your goal because you will likely give up other duties and responsibilities.
Academic text (1998) -
Everybody's been trying to get me to give it up for years, but I can't.
Fiction book (1991) -
Everybody's been trying to get me to give it up for years, but I can't.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
∞
1.2
To stop trying to do something or accept defeat
668
1.0
To stop doing a habit or activity like smoking
401
3.8
Stop supporting an idea or plan
356
2.8
Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something
324
4.7
Decide to stop an activity and finish for now
214
3.0
To leave a course, competition or group before finishing
69
7.2
To give up control, a right, or something you own
69
6.3
To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially
38
6.9
To leave someone who needs your help
34
3.9
To stop doing something because you cannot continue or feel you have done enough
29
4.9
Stop trying because you cannot win
27
4.8
To stop trying because you know you cannot succeed
14
3.9
To stop using drugs or alcohol and stay sober
10
4.9
Make a serious promise to stop doing something you do regularly
7
8.2
Stop a habit or addiction all at once
5
4.2
Stop doing something bad you do often, for example smoking
2
9.6
To promise to give up a belief, habit, or practice
1
7.4
Give something to another person because you are forced to do so
1
9.9
To publicly promise to give up a belief, habit, or claim
1
9.9
To leave a group or activity because you do not get your way
To stop trying because it seems pointless
To stop doing something suddenly because you are frustrated
To stop doing an activity, especially to stop playing music for good
Antonyms
How Final
Surface Forms
Morphology
give + it + up
The core meaning can be partly derived from 'give' (relinquish) combined with 'up' (indicating cessation or completion), and 'it' is just a pronoun, so learners who know the constituents can often infer a sense of stopping or relinquishing. However, the exact pragmatic range (stop trying, quit a habit, abandon an activity) is somewhat conventionalized in English phrasal-verb usage and not fully predictable without exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Give it up creates a simple image: you give the it away and let it go, moving it up and away from you. That's why it now means 'to stop doing something' or 'to quit'.