phrasal verb · informal
give away
/ɡɪv əˈweɪ/give·A·WAY
to give something for free / to reveal information unintentionally
Examples
“They gave away old clothes to the charity.”
“Her nervous smile gave away the fact that she was lying.”
“The company is giving away free samples to attract customers.”
Band 8 sentence
“At the end of the event, the organisers gave away unsold promotional items to attendees rather than throwing them away.”
Collocations
- give away free samples / give away clothes
- give away the secret / give away information
Word family
Common mistakes
He gave away that he would resign.→He gave away the fact that he would resign.
They gave away the tickets to buy.→They gave the tickets away.
Say it for a higher band
5give→6donate→7+give away
Synonyms
donate
reveal
Easily confused
donate
“They donated clothes to the charity.”
reveal
“He accidentally revealed the details of the plan.”
Related words
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In give …
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