phrasal verb · informal
give up
/ɡɪv ʌp/give·UP
speakingtask2
to stop trying to do something or to stop a habit
Examples
“I gave up smoking three years ago.”
“She refused to give up even after several setbacks.”
“Don't give up — you can finish the task if you try.”
Band 8 sentence
“I nearly gave up on the project when funding fell through, but a new sponsor allowed us to carry on and eventually succeed.”
Collocations
- give up smoking / give up on someone
- give up a dream / give up hope
Word family
give up (phrasal verb) vgave up v (past)giving up v-ing
Common mistakes
I decided to give my job up last month.→I decided to give up my job last month.
I gave up to study for the exam.→I gave up studying for the exam.
Say it for a higher band
5stop→6quit→7+give up
Synonyms
quit
stop
Easily confused
give in
“After arguing for hours she finally gave in to their demands.”
quit
“He quit his job last month.”
Related words
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In give …
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