to give up

Examples

• All

• We're not gonna give up on him.

  Last Breath (2025)

• Again, we will not give up and we will not lose.

• The rest of us would give up, but not you.

  First We Feast

• So at some point you just have to give up and trust something.

  Harvard University

• One in 10 said they had to give up work to care for them as a result.

  Academic text (2015)

• Even those who do manage to give up may have tried many times before they finally succeed.

  Academic text (2011)

• Seven out of 10 adult smokers say they would like to give up if they could.

  Academic text (2011)

• If we all protest now, and don't give up, they will kill thousands of us.

  Academic text (2012)

• We learned to humble ourselves, leave our families, give up property and pleasures, and follow Christ.

  Academic text (2008)

• People with rheumatoid arthritis may struggle to give up smoking, research has argued.

  Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

S

to stop

vsto give up

∞ 1.0

To make something end and not continue

is more specific to quitting efforts, habits, or admitting defeat

G

to give it up

vsto give up

683 3.7

To stop doing something you once did

is the neutral, general expression used across many contexts

Q

to quit

vsto give up

653 1.5

To stop trying when something is too hard

is the shorter single-word form used in the same situations

A

to abandon

vsto give up

401 3.8

Stop supporting an idea or plan

is the personal act of quitting activities or admitting defeat

C

to call it

vsto give up

• Informal

324 4.7

Decide to stop an activity and finish for now

is broader, applying to quitting for many motives beyond timing

C

to cease

vsto give up

324 3.6

To stop or come to an end

is specifically about quitting an activity or admitting defeat, not every end

G

to give in

vsto give up

220 3.0

To stop resisting and agree to what others want

is the general act of stopping activities, not only yielding

D

to drop out

vsto give up

214 3.0

To leave a course, competition or group before finishing

is the general stopping action, not only leaving before completion

B

to back down

vsto give up

107 3.7

To stop insisting because others oppose you

is stopping an activity or effort, not only yielding in disputes

L

to lay off

vsto give up

• Informal

102 3.4

Stop doing something that annoys someone

is the broader act of quitting, not specifically to avoid annoyance

Y

to yield

vsto give up

81 4.3

To stop resisting under pressure or force

is the general decision to quit activities or efforts, not only yielding

K

to kick

vsto give up

80 6.2

Stop a bad habit, for example smoking

is general stopping and applies beyond habits and addictions

R

to relinquish

vsto give up

• Formal

69 7.2

To give up control, a right, or something you own

focuses on stopping actions or admitting defeat, not handing over things

R

to renounce

vsto give up

• Formal

69 6.3

To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially

is the usual way to stop an activity, not formal renunciation

D

to discontinue

vsto give up

58 4.2

To stop something that is happening or being given

is the personal act of quitting a habit or effort, not only official endings

B

to break off

vsto give up

50 3.2

To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship

is the broader choice to quit, which can be planned or final

C

to concede

vsto give up

49 4.9

To accept that you have lost a contest or election

is the broader choice to stop, not only public loss admission

F

to forsake

vsto give up

38 6.9

To leave someone who needs your help

is stopping an action or effort without the sense of betrayal

C

to call it quits

vsto give up

• Informal

34 3.9

To stop doing something because you cannot continue or feel you have done enough

covers stopping for any reason, not only when one feels done

T

to throw in

vsto give up

• Informal

29 4.9

Stop trying because you cannot win

is the everyday action of stopping not limited to contests

T

to throw in the towel

vsto give up

• Informal

27 4.8

To stop trying because you know you cannot succeed

is used more generally, not only for conceding clear failure

C

to capitulate

vsto give up

23 8.4

To stop fighting back and accept defeat or demands

is less formal and covers quitting by choice or defeat too

F

to fall by the wayside

vsto give up

• Informal

11 6.5

Stop taking part or trying because of problems

is the intentional choice to stop an activity or effort

F

to forswear

vsto give up

• Formal

2 9.6

To promise to give up a belief, habit, or practice

is the everyday stopping of actions or efforts without formal promise

Y

to yield up

vsto give up

1 7.4

Give something to another person because you are forced to do so

is the voluntary or chosen stopping of effort, not forced surrender

F

to foreswear

vsto give up

• Archaic

1 9.9

To publicly promise to give up a belief, habit, or claim

is the ordinary act of quitting without formal or legal steps

D

to drop by the wayside

vsto give up

• Informal

1 7.5

Stop taking part because it becomes too difficult

is an active decision to quit rather than passive failure to continue

T

to throw away your dreams

vsto give up

1 7.4

To give up your hopes for the future

is about stopping actions or efforts, not specifically renouncing hopes

C

to chuck up the sponge

vsto give up

• UK

9.9

To stop trying because it seems pointless

is the general act of quitting that includes other reasons

J

to jack it

vsto give up

• Slang

9.9

To stop doing something suddenly because you are frustrated

is the normal decision to stop, not necessarily sudden or emotional

Antonyms

C

to continue

∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

P

to persevere

22 5.1

Keep trying to do something even when it is hard

How Persistent

to persevere

22 5.1

to persist

62 3.7

to continue

∞ 1.0

to give up

∞ 1.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology