Give in meaning in English
Learn how to use Give in correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to give in: to agree; to admit defeat
I'm trying not to give in to the temptation of eating that chocolate cake. I really want to eat it but I'm going to try my hardest not to.
Examples
- "We have never given in to thinly veiled threats or strong-arming in the past, and we are not about to start now."
Exercise 1
Susie: I've decided to give drinking coffee.
Kevin: Really? I tried to stop drinking alcohol once, but I couldn't do it. I felt and depressed without liquor in my system. I kept throwing and having convulsions. I think I have a serious alcohol problem. I need help, Susie.
Susie: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you speak ?
Kevin: Really? I tried to stop drinking alcohol once, but I couldn't do it. I felt and depressed without liquor in my system. I kept throwing and having convulsions. I think I have a serious alcohol problem. I need help, Susie.
Susie: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you speak ?
Susie: I've decided to give up 1 drinking coffee.
Kevin: Really? I tried to stop drinking alcohol once, but I couldn't do it. I felt down 2 and depressed without liquor in my system. I kept throwing up 3 and having convulsions. I think I have a serious alcohol problem. I need help, Susie.
Susie: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you speak up 4?
Kevin: Really? I tried to stop drinking alcohol once, but I couldn't do it. I felt down 2 and depressed without liquor in my system. I kept throwing up 3 and having convulsions. I think I have a serious alcohol problem. I need help, Susie.
Susie: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you speak up 4?
1 up: 'To give something up' means to 'quit' or 'stop' or even to 'sacrifice' it. Susie has decided to 'stop' drinking coffee.
1 down: 'To give down' does not make sense. There is no such phrasal verb in English.
1 in: 'To give in drinking coffee' does not make sense. However, 'to give in to' means to 'surrender' or 'capitulate'. We might say: 'the British gave in to the French after being defeated during the battle.'
1 out: The phrasal verb 'to give out' means to distribute, as in the sentence: Every Christmas Papa Noel gives out presents to all the good children in the world. In a different context, 'to give out' means to emit, as in the sentence, 'the sun gives out rays of sunshine'. This expression doesn't belong in Susie's sentence.
2 down: In this context, Kevin is expressing that he feels 'depressed' or 'unhappy' without alcohol. This is a bad thing, and a clear sign of alcoholism. 'Down' indicates a movement towards the bottom or ground, both literally and figuratively.
2 up: Although 'up' is grammatically correct in this construction, it does not make any sense given the context of the phrase. It is contradictory for Kevin to say that alcohol makes him feel 'up' (which can mean positive or energized) AND depressed, which are terms which express opposite meanings.
2 in: One doesn't feel 'in' and 'depressed'. To say that someone feels 'in' might mean that they feel like that are part of a group or community, or that they are 'cool'. However, this is a rare meaning which is inappropriate here.
2 out: The term 'out' doesn't express the feeling of depression, and is generally not used as an adjective on its own to describe a person's feelings.
3 up: 'To throw up' is a phrasal verb synonymous with 'to vomit'. The post position 'up' refers to the act of vomiting, or rejecting fluids upwards from the stomach through the body. Kevin is describing his difficulty in trying to stop drinking.
3 down: The phrasal verb 'to throw down' either expresses the act of throwing something downwards or to the ground, or in a slang context, it can mean to physically fight with someone. Neither of these options belongs in this construction, as Kevin is describing the act of vomiting.
3 out: 'To throw something out' is to discard it or dispose of it (as garbage or rubbish). Kevin is not expressing that he has to dispose of anything, but rather that he continued to vomit when he tried to stop drinking.
3 in: The phrasal verb 'to throw in' has a few different meanings. It can describe the act of contributing to something collective: We're all going to throw in for a present to Susie. It can also describe the act of giving something as an added bonus: If you buy the tv now we'll throw in a remote control as a bonus. Neither of these meanings can describe the act of vomiting which Kevin is trying to do.
4 up: 'Speak up' is a command for someone to speak louder, or to increase the volume of their voice. 'Up' is commonly used to describe a sense of movement towards the top or upwards, or an increasing trend.
4 down: 'To speak down (to someone)' is to speak to them as if they were inferior, or as if they were a child. It is synonymous with the verbs 'to condescend' and 'to patronize'. This expression doesn't belong in this construction.
4 out: 'To speak out (for or against something) is to publicly lobby for or protest against something. For example: The president spoke out against child labor in Asian countries. Susie is not asking Kevin to 'speak out' but rather to 'speak' louder.
4 in: 'To speak in' has no meaning as a phrasal verb in English.
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