GIVE Synonyms: 346 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'give' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of give are afford , bestow , confer , donate , and present . While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," give , the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means. // give alms // gave her a ride on a pony // give my love to your mother

Q: When is it sensible to use 'afford' instead of 'give'?

Although the words afford and give have much in common, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver. // the trees afford shade // a development that affords us some hope

Q: When can 'bestow' be used instead of 'give'?

While the synonyms bestow and give are close in meaning, bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver. // bestow unwanted advice

Q: When is 'confer' a more appropriate choice than 'give'?

While in some cases nearly identical to give , confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor). // confer an honorary degree

Q: In what contexts can 'donate' take the place of 'give'?

The synonyms donate and give are sometimes interchangeable, but donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity). // donate a piano to the orphanage

Q: When might 'present' be a better fit than 'give'?

The meanings of present and give largely overlap; however, present carries a note of formality and ceremony. // present an award

give

verb

ˈgiv

Definition of give

as in to donate

to make a present of thanked all the tutors who generously gave their time to help students after school

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to leave

to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another gave my camera to my father to hold while I went swimming

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to offer

to bring before the public in performance or exhibition the author will give a reading from her latest work at 7:00 p.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to collapse

to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure they loaded the shopping cart with so much food it gave under all the weight

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to pay

to hand over or use up in payment I wouldn't give a nickel for such a run-down car

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to express

to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion) she gave her opinion on the matter very firmly and unmistakably

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to devote

to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention totally gave himself to his studies in the hopes of winning a scholarship for next year

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to yield

to produce as revenue a company that consistently gives $30 million in profits to the owner

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to provide

to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption gave him my e-mail address

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to run by

to put before another for acceptance or consideration she gave the committee her grant proposal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to transmit

to cause (something) to pass from one to another she gave her cold to me, and now I'm so sick that I can barely get out of bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb give contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of give are afford, bestow, confer, donate, and present. While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

give alms

gave her a ride on a pony

give my love to your mother

When is it sensible to use afford instead of give?

Although the words afford and give have much in common, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

the trees afford shade

a development that affords us some hope

When can bestow be used instead of give?

While the synonyms bestow and give are close in meaning, bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

bestow unwanted advice

When is confer a more appropriate choice than give?

While in some cases nearly identical to give, confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

confer an honorary degree

In what contexts can donate take the place of give?

The synonyms donate and give are sometimes interchangeable, but donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

donate a piano to the orphanage

When might present be a better fit than give?

The meanings of present and give largely overlap; however, present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

present an award

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of give Made for pretty much every texture, the airy foam gives fine-to-medium hair body without weighing it down, while helping define and smooth thicker waves and curls without sacrificing movement. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026 California Highway Patrol The school bus moved to the right to give the oncoming vehicle more room, and that's when the rear of the bus struck a concrete guardrail, officials said. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 One supervisor gave a brief disquisition on the history of corporate personhood, how it was created from a headnote in an 1886 Supreme Court case. — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026 There are lots of brands that have worked to give us beautiful soft mattes that glide onto lids and don’t feel patchy or heavy like their previous counterparts. — Elle Turner, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for give

Recent Examples of Synonyms for give

Verb

To date, the organization has donated more than 330 million books to eligible kids across the country.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Parton was excited to learn in July that the program had received a $2 million donation from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, who celebrated their July 3 wedding by donating $26 million to charities across the country.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of donate

Verb

Sweet Stack offers a variety of flavors, including plain, strawberry, mango, lemon, thai tea and brown sugar.

— Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a Democrat, said Uthmeier likely wasn’t called to testify because the grand jury didn’t want to offer him immunity.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of offer

Verb

Sunny Patel’s father, Jitendra (ph), traveled to the region from New York for a spiritual retreat, crossing the border into Tibet to start the trek when the glacier collapsed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of collapse

Verb

Swift also paid tribute to Parton’s prolific and breathtaking body of work and her philanthropic efforts across the globe.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Connie Britton paid tribute to Dolly Parton, less than two weeks after the loss of her Nashville costar Hayden Panettiere.

— Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

In the later years of her life, Eastman settled in Montana and devoted herself to animal advocacy.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
In order to keep playing shows these past few years, Frampton has devoted himself to an intensive workout regime that minimizes the impact of IBM.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of devote

Verb

Sure, both signal callers struggled with bad reads, yet a few dropped balls and mental mistakes yielded a total of just 37 offensive plays.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
For the past quarter century, Hayes has enjoyed a solo career, one that has yielded five studio albums, most recently the 2022 release Homosexual.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of yield

Phrases Containing give

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gits

give

give a hang

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Style

“Give.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/give. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of give

verb

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Synonyms of give

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Phrases Containing give

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How to Use 'Munificent' and 'Beneficent'

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