1.  To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow. [1913 Webster]
"For generous lords had rather give than pay." [1913 Webster]

2.  To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy. [1913 Webster]
"What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?" [1913 Webster]

3.  To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks. [1913 Webster]

4.  To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc. [1913 Webster]

5.  To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission. [1913 Webster]
"It is given me once again to behold my friend." [1913 Webster]
"Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine." [1913 Webster]

6.  To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship. [1913 Webster]

7.  To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study. [1913 Webster]

8.  To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason; -- used principally in the passive form given. [1913 Webster]

9.  To allow or admit by way of supposition. [1913 Webster]
"I give not heaven for lost." [1913 Webster]

10.  To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. [1913 Webster]
"I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover." [1913 Webster]

11.  To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain. [1913 Webster]

12.  To pledge; as, to give one's word. [1913 Webster]

13.  To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc. [1913 Webster]
"But there the duke was given to understand
That in a gondola were seen together
Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica." [1913 Webster]

14.  To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
"Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves."
"I fear our ears have given us the bag."
"One that gives out himself Prince Florizel." [1913 Webster]
"Give out you are of Epidamnum."
"The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice."
"He has . . . given up
For certain drops of salt, your city Rome."
"I'll not state them
By giving up their characters."

1.  To give a gift or gifts. [1913 Webster]

2.  To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet. [1913 Webster]

3.  To become soft or moist. Bacon . [1913 Webster]

4.  To move; to recede. [1913 Webster]
"Now back he gives, then rushes on amain." [1913 Webster]

5.  To shed tears; to weep. [1913 Webster]
"Whose eyes do never give
But through lust and laughter." [1913 Webster]

6.  To have a misgiving. [1913 Webster]
"My mind gives ye're reserved
To rob poor market women." [1913 Webster]

7.  To open; to lead. [1913 Webster]
"This, yielding, gave into a grassy walk." [1913 Webster]
"They gave back and came no farther."
"The Scots battalion was enforced to give in." [1913 Webster]
"This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases."
"Rooms which gave upon a pillared porch." [1913 Webster]
"The gloomy staircase on which the grating gave."
"It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame."

give, v. & n.
--v. (past gave; past part. given)
1 tr. (also absol.; often foll. by to) transfer the possession of freely; hand over as a present (gave them her old curtains; gives to cancer research).
2 tr. a transfer the ownership of with or without actual delivery; bequeath (gave him {pound}200 in her will). b transfer, esp. temporarily or for safe keeping; hand over; provide with (gave him the dog to hold; gave them a drink). c administer (medicine). d deliver (a message) (give her my best wishes).
3 tr. (usu. foll. by for) make over in exchange or payment; pay; sell (gave him {pound}30 for the bicycle).
4 tr. a confer; grant (a benefit, an honour, etc.). b accord; bestow (one's affections, confidence, etc.). c award; administer (one's approval, blame, etc.); tell, offer (esp. something unpleasant) (gave him a talking-to; gave him my blessing; gave him the sack). d pledge, assign as a guarantee (gave his word).
5 tr. a effect or perform (an action etc.) (gave him a kiss; gave a jump). b utter (gave a shriek).
6 tr. allot; assign; grant (was given the contract).
7 tr. (in passive; foll. by to) be inclined to or fond of (is given to speculation).
8 tr. yield as a product or result (the lamp gives a bad light; the field gives fodder for twenty cows).
9 intr. a yield to pressure; become relaxed; lose firmness (this elastic doesn't give properly). b collapse (the roof gave under the pressure).
10 intr. (usu. foll. by of) grant; bestow (gave freely of his time).
11 tr. a commit, consign, or entrust (gave him into custody; give her into your care). b sanction the marriage of (a daughter etc.).
12 tr. devote; dedicate (gave his life to table tennis; shall give it my attention).
13 tr. (usu. absol.) colloq. tell what one knows (What happened? Come on, give!).
14 tr. present; offer; show; hold out (gives no sign of life; gave her his arm; give him your ear).
15 tr. Theatr. read, recite, perform, act, etc. (gave them Hamlet's soliloquy).
16 tr. impart; be a source of (gave him my sore throat; gave its name to the battle; gave me much pain; gives him a right to complain).
17 tr. allow (esp. a fixed amount of time) (can give you five minutes).
18 tr. (usu. foll. by for) value (something) (gives nothing for their opinions).
19 tr. concede; yield (I give you the victory).
20 tr. deliver (a judgement etc.) authoritatively (gave his verdict).
21 tr. Cricket (of an umpire) declare (a batsman) out or not out.
22 tr. toast (a person, cause, etc.) (I give you our President).
23 tr. provide (a party, meal, etc.) as host (gave a banquet).
--n.
1 capacity to yield or bend under pressure; elasticity (there is no give in a stone floor).
2 ability to adapt or comply (no give in his attitudes).

Idiom:
give and take v.tr. exchange (words, blows, or concessions).
--n. an exchange of words etc.; a compromise. give as good as one gets retort adequately in words or blows. give away
1 transfer as a gift.
2 hand over (a bride) ceremonially to a bridegroom.
3 betray or expose to ridicule or detection.
4 Austral. abandon, desist from, give up, lose faith or interest in. give-away n.
colloq.
1 an inadvertent betrayal or revelation.
2 an act of giving away.
3 a free gift; a low price. give back return (something) to its previous owner or in exchange. give a person the best see BEST. give birth (to) see BIRTH. give chase pursue a person, animal, etc.; hunt. give down (often absol.) (of a cow) let (milk) flow. give forth emit; publish; report. give the game (or show) away reveal a secret or intention. give a hand see HAND. give a person (or the devil) his or her due acknowledge, esp. grudgingly, a person's rights, abilities, etc.
give in
1 cease fighting or arguing; yield.
2 hand in (a document etc.) to an official etc. give in marriage sanction the marriage of (one's daughter etc.). give it to a person colloq. scold or punish. give me I prefer or admire (give me the Greek islands). give off emit (vapour etc.). give oneself (of a woman) yield sexually. give oneself airs act pretentiously or snobbishly.
give oneself up to
1 abandon oneself to an emotion, esp. despair.
2 addict oneself to. give on to (or into) (of a window, corridor, etc.) overlook or lead into. give or take colloq. add or subtract (a specified amount or number) in estimating.
give out
1 announce; emit; distribute.
2 cease or break down from exhaustion etc.
3 run short. give over 1 colloq. cease from doing; abandon (a habit etc.); desist (give over sniffing).
2 hand over.
3 devote. give rise to cause, induce, suggest.
give tongue
1 speak one's thoughts.
2 (of hounds) bark, esp. on finding a scent. give a person to understand inform authoritatively.
give up
1 resign; surrender.
2 part with.
3 deliver (a wanted person etc.).
4 pronounce incurable or insoluble; renounce hope of.
5 renounce or cease (an activity). give up the ghost archaic or colloq. die. give way see WAY. give a person what for colloq. punish or scold severely. give one's word (or word of honour) promise solemnly. not give a damn (or monkey's or toss etc.) colloq. not care at all. what gives? colloq. what is the news?; what's happening? would give the world (or one's ears, eyes, etc.) for covet or wish for desperately.

Derivative:
giveable adj. giver n.

Etymology:
OE g(i)efan f. Gmc

VB  deliver, hand, pass, put into the hands of, hand over, make over, deliver over, pass over, turn over, assign dower, present, give away, dispense, dispose of, give out, deal out, dole out, mete out, fork out, squeeze out, pay, render, impart, communicate, concede, cede, yield, part with, shed, cast, spend, give, bestow, confer, grant, accord, award, assign, intrust, consign, vest in, make a present, allow, contribute, subscribe, furnish its quota, invest, endow, settle upon, bequeath, leave, devise, furnish, supply, help, administer to, afford, spare, accommodate with, indulge with, favor with, shower down upon, lavish, pour on, thrust upon, tip, bribe, tickle the palm, grease the palm, offer, sacrifice, immolate.

VB  discount, bate, abate, rebate, reduce, price down, mark down take off, allow, give, make allowance, tax.

N  caution, cautiousness, discretion, prudence, cautel, heed, circumspection, calculation, deliberation, foresight, vigilance, warning, coolness, self-possession, self-command, presence of mind, sang froid, well-regulated mind, worldly wisdom, Fabian policy, cautious, wary, guarded, on one's guard, cavendo tutus, in medio tutissimus, vigilant, careful, heedful, cautelous, stealthy, chary, shy of, circumspect, prudent, discreet, politic, sure-footed, unenterprising, unadventurous, cool, steady, self-possessed, overcautious, cautiously, Int, have a care!, timeo Danaos, festina lente, ante victoriam ne canas triumphum, don't sing out victory before the triumph, give, every man thine ear but few thy voice, he who laughs last laughs best, il rit bien qui rit le dernier, ni firmes carta que no leas ni bebas agua que no v, nescit vox missa reverti, love all, trust a few, noli irritare leones, safe bind safe find, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

VB  render soft, soften, mollify, mellow, relax, temper, mash, knead, squash, bend, yield, relent, relax, give, plasticize'.

VB  be hot, glow, flush, sweat, swelter, bask, smoke, reek, stew, simmer, seethe, boil, burn, blister, broil, blaze, flame, smolder, parch, fume, pant, heat, recalesce, thaw, give.

give a damn, give a hand, give a hang, give a hoot, give a lift, give and take, give away, give back, give birth, give birth to, give care, give chase, give ear, give forth, give full measure, give ground, give in, give it a try, give it a whirl, give it the deep six, give notice, give off, give one's best, give or take, give out, give over, give rise, give suck, give thanks, give the axe, give the bounce, give the eye, give the gate, give the glad eye, give the once over, give the sack, give the word, give tongue to, give up, give vent, give voice, give way, give way to