Explanations of several “give” phrasal verbs, with a printable worksheet.
“Give” Phrasal Verbs – Definitions
give (x) away
1) to give something for free
2) to reveal a secret (usually accidentally)
- The coffee shop is giving away free coffee all morning! Let’s go!
- I could tell that Jane was lying to me. The look on her face gave it away.
- Don’t tell Bill that we’re throwing him a surprise birthday party. I don’t want to give it away!
give in: to finally agree to something that you didn’t want to do
- My son begged me for months to buy him a new video game. I couldn’t take it anymore and finally gave in and bought it for him.
- The baseball player was holding out for more money, but he finally gave in when he realized that no one would meet his demands.
give it up for: to cheer/applaud for someone (usually before/after a performance)
- Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Rolling Stones!
give out: to stop working because of old age or long-term use
give (x) out: to produce light, heat, energy, odor, etc. (also: “give off”)
- My back gave out when I was helping my friend move his sofa, so I’m out of work for a few days.
- The computer gives off heat, so you should shut it down if you are going to be gone for a long period of time.
- I had that printer for 10 years, and it finally gave out last week when I tried to print a 200-page novel.
- These new light bulbs give out brighter light for a longer period of time, and they cost less than the less efficient light bulbs!
“Give” Phrasal Verbs – Worksheet
Fill in the blanks with the correct words to complete these “give” phrasal verbs.
1. Michael always said that he would never use Facebook, but he finally ______ ______ when all of his friends started using it to keep in touch.
2. The bakery is _______ ________ free muffins with the purchase of a cake.
3. Announcer: Wow! What a great performance! Everyone _______ ____ ____ for Deep Purple!
4. Deep in the ocean there is no sunlight, but some fish are able to ________ _______ their own light due to a chemical reaction.
5. I didn’t want to go to the bar last night, but my friend kept asking me to go and I finally _______ ________.
6. Mandy told the doctor that she didn’t want to know if her baby would be a boy or a girl, but the doctor accidentally _______ ___ ______ when he said “she” instead of “it”.
7. The marathon runner’s knee ______ ______ when he had less than one mile to go, so he wasn’t able to finish the race.
