To give ground

Give Give (g[i^]v), v. t. [imp. {Gave} (g[=a]v); p. p. {Given} (g[i^]v"'n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Giving}.] [OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. ge[eth]an, OHG. geban, G. geben, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth. giban. Cf. {Gift}, n.] 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. --Young. [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 ? --Matt. xvi. 26. [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. --Rowe. [1913 Webster]

Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. --Pope. [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. (Logic & Math.) 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. --Mlton. [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. --Sheridan. [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. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

14. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{To give away}, to make over to another; to transfer. [1913 Webster]

Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. --Atterbury.

{To give back}, to return; to restore. --Atterbury.

{To give the bag}, to cheat. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

I fear our ears have given us the bag. --J. Webster.

{To give birth to}. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea.

{To give chase}, to pursue.

{To give ear to}. See under {Ear}.

{To give forth}, to give out; to publish; to tell. --Hayward.

{To give ground}. See under {Ground}, n.

{To give the hand}, to pledge friendship or faith.

{To give the hand of}, to espouse; to bestow in marriage.

{To give the head}. See under {Head}, n.

{To give in}. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party.

{To give the lie to} (a person), to tell (him) that he lies.

{To give line}. See under {Line}.

{To give off}, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc.

{To give one's self away}, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.]

{To give out}. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare. [1913 Webster]

One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Give out you are of Epidamnum. --Shak. (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors.

{To give over}. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self). [1913 Webster]

The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. --Grew.

{To give place}, to withdraw; to yield one's claim.

{To give points}. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.]

{To give rein}. See under {Rein}, n.

{To give the sack}. Same as {To give the bag}.

{To give and take}. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc.

{To give time} (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. --Abbott.

{To give the time of day}, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as ``good morning.'' ``good evening'', etc.

{To give tongue}, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs.

{To give up}. (a) To abandon; to surrender. ``Don't give up the ship.'' [1913 Webster]

He has . . . given up For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. --Shak. (b) To make public; to reveal. [1913 Webster]

I'll not state them By giving up their characters. --Beau. & Fl. (c) (Used also reflexively.)

{To give up the ghost}. See under {Ghost}.

{To give one's self up}, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self.

{To give way}. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent.

{To give way together}, to row in time; to keep stroke.

Syn: To {Give}, {Confer}, {Grant}.

Usage: To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior. [1913 Webster]