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Glite Dictionary
giving up

giving up

5 3.2
Stopping trying because you think you cannot succeed
  • noun
: rendirse
  • Fear instead the act of giving up before the end.
  • mean giving up
  • the idea of giving up
  • just giving up

Well, Speaking of Ryland just giving up, It's time for a recap.

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Examples

  • What's the benefit of giving up on yourself?

  • You tell yourself that leaving the school would mean giving up, letting the others win.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I felt like I was giving up on my child.

  • I think the hard thing is just giving up the need to win.

  • And I think giving up on ourselves becomes a habit, right?

    Jay Shetty Podcast

  • If you feel like giving up, OK, there's a process for this.

  • Now he is able to finish all four laps without giving up.

    Academic text (2013)

  • If you don't have your dreams right now, you're giving up on yourself.

  • I'm not giving up!

    WarGames (1983)

  • She felt that giving up on her studies would lead to a lifetime of regret.

Synonyms

surrender
vsgiving up
111 4.2

Giving up after defeat, for example when an army stops fighting

is the same idea but stresses stopping effort after a long struggle
concession
vsgiving up
36 5.1

Saying you accept a point or a demand so talks can continue

is broader, about ending struggle generally rather than formal negotiated surrender
resignation
vsgiving up
17 4.2

Accepting an unpleasant situation without trying to change it

involves active stopping after struggle rather than calm acceptance of fate
capitulation
vsgiving up
11 8.3

Giving up in a fight or war under agreed terms

is broader, covering any act of stopping after effort or defeat
relinquishment
vsgiving up
  • Formal
1 8.2

The act of giving up a right, position, or responsibility

focuses on stopping effort or admitting defeat, not legal or formal release
yielding
vsgiving up
1 5.3

An act of ending an argument by accepting the other person's view

is not limited to discussions and covers any stopping after struggle
forsaking
vsgiving up
1 7.4

Giving up someone or something and leaving them behind

is about stopping effort or admitting defeat, not primarily abandoning people
relinquishing
vsgiving up
  • Formal
1 7.7

Giving up a right, job, or thing you own

highlights stopping trying or admitting defeat rather than surrendering rights
conceding
vsgiving up
6.4

Admitting you have lost or accepting that others are right

is wider, applying to stopping effort beyond arguments or debates

Antonyms

persistence
50 4.1

Continuing to try despite problems or opposition

perseverance
44 4.1

Continuing to try hard when things are difficult or take a long time

How Persistent

perseverance
44 4.1
continuing
209 2.8
giving up
5 3.2

Surface Forms

giving up singular
givings up plural

Morphology

giving + up

The meaning 'the act of stopping trying' is partly derivable from 'give' (relinquish/stop holding on) combined with the particle 'up' (completion/cessation), so a learner who knows the constituents can plausibly infer a sense of surrender. However, the specific pragmatic sense of quitting an effort (rather than literally handing something upward) depends on phrasal-verb usage and is somewhat idiomatic, so it is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Giving up comes from the clear image of a person in a fight who hands over their weapon or lifts a white flag — they are literally giving something up to the other side. So the phrase now means 'to stop trying' or 'to surrender'.