give up on (someone or something)
idiom
1
: to stop trying to improve the condition of (someone)
He has gotten in trouble many times, but his parents have never given up on him.
Please don't give up on me. I promise I'll do better.
2
: to stop having hope of seeing (someone)
We'd given up on you hours ago!
3
: to stop trying to do or achieve (something)
They have given up on their plan to build a new factory.
She hasn't given up on trying to convince her husband to buy a new car.
Examples of give up on (someone or something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The board’s intervention led the foundation to give up on the initiative, but the fallout continues.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2024
When May 1 passed with no offer of aid — or even an indication that her FAFSA had been received — Beltran decided to give up on attending the schools that would require her to pay for housing and a meal plan.
—Liz Willen, Gail Cornwall, Matt Krupnick, Kavitha Cardoza, Ariel Gilreath, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
But don’t give up on planning a great summer outing yet.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
This pushed them to give up on storytelling for a short period.
—Abigail Beck, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2024
For all of this, not everyone who attended the Pasadena Expo was ready to give up on transit.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Another layer to the potential problem is that Anderson says some exotic pet owners give up on their pets and release them into the wild.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 30 Apr. 2024
And passengers often must engage with customer service agents or chatbots to secure refunds, which can lead them to give up on the process altogether, according to Buttigieg.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Xi Jinping has a request for CEOs: Don’t give up on China.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2024
When May 1 passed with no offer of aid — or even an indication that her FAFSA had been received — Beltran decided to give up on attending the schools that would require her to pay for housing and a meal plan.
—Liz Willen, Gail Cornwall, Matt Krupnick, Kavitha Cardoza, Ariel Gilreath, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
But don’t give up on planning a great summer outing yet.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
This pushed them to give up on storytelling for a short period.
—Abigail Beck, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2024
For all of this, not everyone who attended the Pasadena Expo was ready to give up on transit.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Another layer to the potential problem is that Anderson says some exotic pet owners give up on their pets and release them into the wild.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 30 Apr. 2024
And passengers often must engage with customer service agents or chatbots to secure refunds, which can lead them to give up on the process altogether, according to Buttigieg.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
Xi Jinping has a request for CEOs: Don’t give up on China.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give up on (someone or something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near give up on (someone or something)
Cite this Entry
“Give up on (someone or something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up%20on%20%28someone%20or%20something%29. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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