give away — 2 meanings

One phrase, 2 meanings. Learn them one at a time, then test yourself.

phrasal verb2 meanings

give away

1give something for free 2reveal a secret

Meaning 1 · most common

give something for free

give sth away to sb

To give something to someone without asking for money or anything in return.

How oftenCommon

LevelB1

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

I'm going to give away my old bike to my cousin because I don't use it anymore.

A: What are you doing with all those books?
B: I'm giving them away to the library.

Common mistake

Not: They gave away it for free.

Say: They gave it away for free.

With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'give it away'.

More on “give something for free”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

If I had extra clothes that I no longer wore, I would probably give them away to charity rather than throw them out.

Tell it apart

They're giving away free tickets.

handing them out for nothing

They're giving back to the community.

returning something as thanks

Goes with

give away + thing

Practice saying this

Next meaning: reveal a secret

Meaning 2

reveal a secret

give sth away

To accidentally or intentionally let someone know something that was meant to be kept secret.

How oftenCommon

LevelB2

Used inSpeech & writing

Examples

He accidentally gave away the surprise party by mentioning it in front of Sarah.

A: Did you tell anyone about my plans?
B: No, I promise I didn't give anything away.

Common mistake

Not: Don't give ~~away it!~~

Say: Don't give it away!

With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'give it away', never 'give away it'.

More on “reveal a secret”Another example · Tell it apart · Goes with · Tip

Another example

Sometimes, people give away important information without realizing it, especially when they are nervous.

Tell it apart

Don't give away the ending!

reveal a secret

They gave away free samples.

hand out for nothing

Goes with

give away + secret/info

Practice saying this

Test yourself: which one is it?

Spot the meaning

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Read the sentence, then pick the meaning that's in play.

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give something for free reveal a secret