1 gift | Definition of gift

gift

noun
\ ˈgift How to pronounce gift (audio) \

Definition of gift

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a notable capacity, talent, or endowment
2 : something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation
3 : the act, right, or power of giving

gift

verb
gifted; gifting; gifts

Definition of gift (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to endow with some power, quality, or attribute She's been gifted with a beautiful voice.
2a : to make a gift of It makes an excellent choice whether you're gifting one bottle for the honeymoon or a case to be savored for years, or even decades, to come.— Robert Taylor
b : present gifted her with flowers In this, her ninth novel, she has succeeded in gifting us with a story that will stay with us for a long time.— Dorothy Rochmis

Definition of GIFT (Entry 3 of 3)

gamete intrafallopian transfer; gamete intrafallopian tube transfer

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Other Words from gift

Verb

giftee \ ËŒgif-​ˈtÄ“ How to pronounce giftee (audio) \ noun

Synonyms for gift

Synonyms: Noun

bestowal, comp, donation, donative, fairing [British], freebie (or freebee), giveaway, handsel, lagniappe, largesse (also largess), present, presentation

Synonyms: Verb

bless, endow, endue (or indue), favor, invest

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Choose the Right Synonym for gift

Noun

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something. gift often implies special favor by God or nature. the gift of singing beautifully faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function. a faculty for remembering names aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it. a mechanical aptitude bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability. a family with an artistic bent talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed. has enough talent to succeed genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability. has no great genius for poetry knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance. the knack of getting along

Examples of gift in a Sentence

Noun

The money was a gift, not a loan. She considers her voice a God-given gift.

Verb

gifted with an uncanny ability to persuade people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Traveling SpongeBob SpongeBob memes are truly the internet gift that keeps on giving. Megan Mccluskey, Time, "Say Goodbye to the Season With the Best Memes of Summer From Hot Girl Summer to #ChickenWars," 30 Aug. 2019 The gifts are part of $5 million Publix is giving to organizations across the Southeast in September, which is national Hunger Action Week. Lee Roop | [email protected], al, "Publix gives $500,000 to food banks in Alabama," 29 Aug. 2019 When Georgia was pickled in Soviet aspic, those gifts were a lifeline to the world. The Economist, "A culture clash in the Caucasus," 29 Aug. 2019 The full extent of the gift was revealed to Gamez on Wednesday afternoon in one of UTI's massive student teaching rooms. Mackenzie Shuman, azcentral, "Make-A-Wish helps send Arizona teen to trade school for free," 29 Aug. 2019 Kids whose gift was to be themselves, in other words, whose skill set was building a persona from the ostensible reality of their lives. Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "Imagine Barbara Stanwyck on YouTube," 29 Aug. 2019 The gift is the first donation from the $50 million commitment that Google.org made in June to assist nonprofits that are attempting to tackle homelessness and displacement in the Bay Area. George Avalos, The Mercury News, "Google gift bolsters Salvation Army’s San Jose affordable homes development," 28 Aug. 2019 Karen Lipman Steiger, a volunteer at The Gathering Place, made the first gift to support Wellness Without Walls. Carol Kovach, cleveland.com, "Westlake Porter Public Library is going fine-free: West Shore Chatter," 27 Aug. 2019 Donations of new and used musical instruments are accepted and all gifts are tax deductible. Aileen Simons, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Support communities hosting back-to-school drives," 26 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Their first half performance was very sloppy, with two unnecessary defensive errors gifting Chelsea a two-goal advantage, as the game looked beyond the Blades. SI.com, "Chelsea 2-2 Sheffield United: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Blades Earn Famous Point," 31 Aug. 2019 The kids live in Avon, Columbus and Baltimore and gifted their parents with five grandchildren. Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Gary and Pamela Ebert to be honored at the 2019 BAYarts annual Moondance," 24 Aug. 2019 Caliendo says to backup quarterback Mike Glennon, to whom nature has gifted a long neck. Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "‘Hard Knocks’ Raiders coach Jon Gruden, Antonio Brown make a pact: football comes first," 21 Aug. 2019 Patriots fans will doubtless disagree, citing Seattle's loss to New England in the following year's Super Bowl, though most everyone can probably agree Pete Carroll gifted the Pats that title. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "NFL's 100 greatest teams of all time: Which squad is best in league history?," 5 Aug. 2019 Savage sent the students some of the parts from the costume in his collection, and Defendini gifted the space suit to Savage who unboxed it and showed it off in a new video on his YouTube channel. Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Watch Adam Savage nerd out over the costume from the high school Alien play," 2 Aug. 2019 When gifting a pillar candle, don't just stick it in another boring gift bag. Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "What Is a Tea Towel, Anyway? Different Ways to Use This Not-so-Basic Kitchen Cloth," 25 July 2019 Formed in 1999, the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation supports pediatric cancer research and treatment, and has gifted nearly $19 million to support children battling cancer. Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, "Jeff Gordon named recipient of Indiana Sports Corp’s 2019 Pathfinder Award," 11 July 2019 Her goal capped a miserable afternoon for the Koreans which had gifted its opponent a 29th minute lead through Kim's own-goal. James Masters, CNN, "France beats Norway at Women's World Cup after VAR controversy," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gift.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of gift

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for gift

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old Norse, something given, talent; akin to Old English giefan to give

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