1.
to stop trying to do something
“Don't give up!”
“I gave up after 10 minutes.”
“She never gives up.”
Synonyms: to quit, to abandon, to surrender
Phrasal verb
What does give up mean?
Meaning: to stop trying; to stop doing something
B1
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Quick answer
Give up = to stop trying. Don't give up! = keep trying! It can also mean to stop a habit: I gave up fizzy drinks = I stopped drinking them. It is a separable phrasal verb: give it up.
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to stop doing a habit, often a bad one
common“I gave up smoking last year.”
“He gave up coffee for Lent.”
Synonyms: to quit, to stop
3.
to let someone else have something
common“He gave up his seat to an elderly woman.”
Synonyms: to surrender, to yield
Word order
Separable
The object can go between the verb and the particle. With a pronoun (it, them), it always goes between.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- give up
- Past Simple:
- gave up
- Past participle:
- given up
- -ing form:
- giving up
Common mistakes to avoid
Give up + -ing (not to + verb)
Pattern: give up + -ing. I gave up running ✓ / I gave up to run ❌. Like stop, finish, mind and enjoy, give up is followed by the -ing form.
With a pronoun: between give and up
Give up is separable. Give it up ✓ / Give up it ❌. A pronoun (it, them) always goes between give and up: I gave it up = I stopped doing it.
Irregular verb: gave (not gived)
Give is irregular: give → gave → given. In the Past Simple, say I gave up. Never I gived up ❌.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: give up
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Frequently asked questions
What does give up mean?+
Give up means to stop trying (a plan, an effort) or to stop a habit. Don't give up! means keep trying. I gave up fizzy drinks means I stopped drinking them.
Is it give up doing or give up to do?+
Give up + verb + -ing: I gave up running = I stopped running. Never to run. It works like stop + -ing and finish + -ing.
Is give up separable?+
Yes. With a noun: give up chocolate (most common) or give chocolate up (less common, but correct). With a pronoun, the pronoun goes in the middle: give it up.
What is the difference between give up and quit?+
They are very close. Give up is general and very common when people speak. Quit is shorter and more common in American English. I quit the piano and I gave up the piano mean the same thing: I stopped playing it.
What does “he gave up his seat” mean?+
It means he let someone else have his seat. This is the third meaning of give up. You often hear it on buses and trains: give up your seat to someone = let someone sit in your place.
Related phrasal verbs
Updated on 27 October 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 27 October 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/give-up
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.