GIVE Phrasal Verbs in English: Meanings and Examples

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A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle) that together make a new meaning. The verb give forms many common phrasal verbs, and the particle changes the meaning each time: give up, give in, give away, give off, and more.

This guide is for B1 to C1 learners who want to understand and use the most common give phrasal verbs in real conversation. By the end you will know what each one means, see an example of each, learn which ones can be separated by an object, and avoid the mistakes learners make most. Three exercises are on this page so you can practice straight away.

On this page

Quick video summary
What a phrasal verb is
GIVE phrasal verbs with examples
The ones learners mix up
Separable or not
Common mistakes
Practice exercises
FAQ
Key takeaways

A quick video summary

What a phrasal verb is

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle (an adverb or a preposition) to form a single expression. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb completely, so you cannot work out the meaning by translating each word on its own. "Give up" has nothing to do with the direction "up."

The trick is to learn the whole phrase as one unit of meaning. Note that give is an irregular verb: give, gave, given.

The most useful GIVE phrasal verbs, with examples

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
give up	to stop doing something; to quit	I gave up smoking last year.
give in	to stop resisting and agree, after a struggle	After hours of arguing, he finally gave in.
give in to	to yield to a pressure or temptation	She gave in to the temptation to have dessert.
give up on	to stop believing in someone or something	Don't give up on your dream.
give away	to give something for free; to reveal a secret	They gave away free samples. / Don't give away the ending.
give back	to return something you borrowed	Please give me back my pen.
give out	to distribute to many people; to stop working	The teacher gave out the papers. / My phone battery gave out.
give off	to emit (a smell, heat, light); to project an impression	The flowers give off a lovely scent.
give way	to collapse or break; to let someone go first	The old bridge gave way. / Give way to traffic from the right.
give over	(British, informal) to stop doing something annoying	Oh, give over and stop complaining!

Phrasal verbs are easy to read and hard to use. The only way they become natural is to use them in conversation. Book a free trial lesson and practice give phrasal verbs with an experienced native teacher, no credit card needed.

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The ones learners mix up: give up, give in, give up on

These three look alike but mean different things.

Phrasal verb	It means	Example
give up	to stop doing an activity, or quit a habit	He gave up his job to travel.
give in	to stop resisting and agree after a struggle	The children begged until their parents gave in.
give up on	to lose faith in a person or thing	Her teachers never gave up on her.

Separable or not: where the object goes

Some give phrasal verbs are separable: the object can go after the phrase or in the middle. When the object is a pronoun (it, them, him), it must go in the middle.

Separable: give back, give away, give out, give up (an activity). "Give back the book" or "give it back" (not "give back it").
Inseparable: give in, give in to, give up on, give way, give over. The object stays after the phrase: "She gave in to it," not "she gave it in to."

Common mistakes with GIVE phrasal verbs

Translating word by word. "Give up" is not "give" plus "up." Learn the whole phrase as one meaning.
Putting a pronoun after a separable verb. Wrong: "Give back it." Right: "Give it back."
Confusing give up, give in and give up on. Give up = quit; give in = stop resisting; give up on = lose faith.
Using the wrong form of give. Give is irregular: give, gave, given. "He gived up" is wrong; use "gave up."

Practice exercises on GIVE phrasal verbs

Exercise 1. Match each meaning to the correct phrasal verb. Some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning.

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb, in the right tense.

Exercise 3. Decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect.

Quick self-check

Choose the right give phrasal verb, then reveal the answers.

1. The toaster was ____ a burnt smell. (emit)
2. After arguing all evening, she finally ____ and agreed. (stopped resisting)
3. He ____ chocolate for a month. (quit)

Show answers

1. giving off. 2. gave in. 3. gave up.

How did that feel? Recognising a phrasal verb in an exercise is one thing. Reaching for the right one while you speak is the goal. In a free trial lesson, an experienced native teacher will have you using give phrasal verbs in real sentences within minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

What does "give up" mean?

Give up means to stop doing something or to quit, for example a habit or an activity: "I gave up smoking," "She gave up her job." It can also mean to surrender ("the robber gave himself up to the police").

What is the difference between give up and give in?

Give up means to stop doing an activity or quit a habit. Give in means to stop resisting and agree, usually after a struggle or pressure. "He gave up smoking" is quitting; "He gave in and let them stay" is yielding.

What does "give away" mean?

Give away has two common meanings: to give something for free ("they gave away free samples") and to reveal a secret without meaning to ("don't give away the ending").

What does "give off" mean?

Give off means to emit something such as a smell, heat or light ("the flowers give off a lovely scent"). It can also describe the impression someone or something projects ("she gives off a calm, confident vibe").

Are give phrasal verbs separable?

Some are. Give back, give away, give out and give up (an activity) are separable, so a pronoun object must go in the middle ("give it back," not "give back it"). Others like give in, give up on and give way are inseparable, so the object stays after the phrase.

Key takeaways

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle with a new, combined meaning.
Learn the whole phrase, do not translate give and the particle separately.
The most common ones: give up, give in, give away, give back, give off, give out.
Give up = quit; give in = stop resisting; give up on = lose faith.
With separable verbs, a pronoun object goes in the middle: give it back, give it away.

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Written and reviewed by the experienced native English teachers at Live English, online since 2007.