How to Use give in a Sentence

give

1 of 2 verb
  • He gave me the letter.
  • He gave me a head start.
  • He gave her his coat to hold.
  • It is better to give than to receive.
  • We already gave at the office.
  • Are you giving this to me or only lending it?
  • Please give to our charity.
  • She gave him a camera for Christmas.
  • They're asking people to give money for a new hospital.
  • She has given money to many worthy causes.
  • And my dad would just give me routes.
    Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Oh, come on, guys, give the kid a break.
    Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Some of us are not giving it back.
    Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • That doesn’t give you a free pass to bake in the sun, though.
    Mara Santilli, SELF, 3 Aug. 2022
  • That again gives the Padres a nine-man bullpen.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Please give us grace during this time.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The few who showed up, of course fans, gave it an A-.
    Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The bullpen again helped give the Cubs a chance to come back.
    Meghan Montemurro, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2021
  • Read the full plan here, and give the city your feedback here.
    Destine Gibson, Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2021
  • Vampire teeth or some fake blood will give the look a spooky twist.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The Creature gave me this sort of space.
    Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
  • To trust anyone is to give them power over you.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Three runs scored to give the Brewers the lead for good.
    Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • So that gives you a lot of confidence, too.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
  • Don’t give yourself such a hard time and be a lot more open to try things out.
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 22 Nov. 2021
  • The Lendu had asked the Hema to give them part of their crops.
    Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2018
  • In this case, give the plant time to return to normal.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
  • Some car rental companies will give you two keys on the same ring.
    Christopher Elliott, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Venus gave us the birth of transit spectroscopy.
    Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Of course, the child comes in wanting to give his or her input.
    Chris Ip, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2021

give

2 of 2 noun
  • Is there an equal amount of give and take?
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
  • There's a give and take and a give and take.
    ABC News, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Friendship means a lot of give and take.
    Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
  • There’s a little bit of give and take.
    Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • There is a light give, which adds to the plushiness.
    Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 17 Dec. 2025
  • There’s no give-up in anybody’s game in this league.
    Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The skull bones of these dinosaurs have give and flex to them.
    Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2022
  • But since it's made from spandex, too, the dress does have some give.
    Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2023
  • There seems to be certain amount of give and take in the pool rental world.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2021
  • Touch-a-Truck for kids will be back along with free give-a-ways.
    Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, 14 May 2018
  • But sometimes there’s no give without a get.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Don't have a huge budget but want a give a gift that'll impress?
    Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 16 Aug. 2022
  • Look for peaches that are ripe — there should be a little give near the top.
    Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2017
  • And that’s where a lot of the magic happens and there’s a give and take there.
    Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 20 Sep. 2022
  • The flesh will be soft with a slight give, like many stone fruits or tropical fruits.
    Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Take this option, which is made of soft, jersey-knit with just the right amount of give.
    Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 6 Jan. 2023
  • The seats are deep and luxurious and have just the right amount of give.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
  • The seats are deep and luxurious and have just the right amount of give.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 29 Nov. 2025
  • The seats are deep and luxurious and have just the right amount of give.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 2025
  • The seats are deep and luxurious and have just the right amount of give.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But breakthroughs in talks will most likely involve a lot of give and take.
    Eric Talmadge, Fox News, 10 June 2018
  • There’s always going to be the yin and yang of giving, the give and take.
    Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The amount of elastic can vary, but some amount of give is non-negotiable.
    Isaiah Freeman-Schub, Robb Report, 10 May 2023
  • The fruit can have a little give, but a very soft lemon is overripe or rotting.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Phylon sole is durable yet comfortable, with just the right amount of give and flex.
    Maren Estrada, BGR, 4 June 2021
  • Look for peaches, plums or nectarines that are firm to the touch but have a little give.
    Debbie Arrington, sacbee.com, 13 June 2017
  • But because there is such a give and take that she’s brought to that role, there’s so much more to play off of.
    Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 June 2023
  • But the give-and-take of the one-on-one exchange feels both urgent and viable.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2020
  • The give and take is legendary, and there have been some very big deals that both began there and closed there.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Children and adults of all ages and backgrounds can share in the give and take of the free library.
    baltimoresun.com, 17 July 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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