to give and take
6
3.6
- idiom
:
hacer concesiones
- As a family, the Atkins have figured out how to give and take.
- a lot of give and take
- give and take and compromise
- a game of give and take
Examples
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To reach a successful agreement, both parties must give and take on their initial demands.
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And that's how it always was with us: give and take.
-
You gotta give and take.
-
"To let a lady play both sports, you have to give and take."
Blog text (7) -
If you are the super serious type, you can still have that give and take.
Blog text (9) -
It's all give and take.
Blog text (31) -
That can only work with some mutual give and take.
Blog text (7) -
But as in all things in life, this "give and take" must be in moderation.
Blog text (10) -
Because groups such as these can advance their agendas through foundation support, the judiciary, and sympathetic bureaucracies, they do not often have to enter the arena of elective politics, where they would be forced to engage in give and take and compromise.
Academic text (2002) -
Avoiding new civil strife or the collapse of the conference because of the factionalization of contending ethnic and political interests will require extraordinary diplomatic skills and an era of true "give and take" politics.
Academic text (1992)
Synonyms
215
3.7
To settle a disagreement by each side giving up something
9
4.1
Agree on a middle amount between two offers
3
4.9
To accept less than you want in a discussion to reach an agreement
2
3.5
Each person gives up some of what they want to reach an agreement
Antonyms
How Cooperative
81
4.3
61
6.8
6
3.6
- Formal
801
3.7
311
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'mutual compromise or exchange' is directly built from the literal verbs 'give' and 'take' joined by 'and'—the notion of reciprocal giving and receiving is straightforwardly compositional. This reciprocity pattern is common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Give and take comes from the simple picture of two people passing things back and forth: one person gives and the other takes, then they switch. That's why the verb means 'to compromise' — each person accepts something and gives something up so both agree.