give over

verb

Etymology: Middle English given over, from given to give + over

transitive verb

1. : to bring to an end : put a stop to : cease, quit

I resolved to give over all thoughts of you — Mary W. Montagu

you'll have to give over that hammering — Rex Ingamells

2.

a. : to yield (oneself) without check, restraint, or control : abandon

she gave herself over to laughter before she could go on — H.D.Skidmore

b. : to set apart for or give up to a particular purpose or use : devote — usually used in passive

the area is now given over to a children's playground — American Guide Series: Oregon

the second meeting … will probably be given over to the consideration and adoption of the constitution — A.T.Weaver

3. archaic : to pronounce incurable

had been ill of a fever and given over by her physician — Anna Jameson

4. : to put in charge or keeping : entrust

took him to the apartment and gave the old man over to his housekeeper — Nevil Shute

5. archaic : to despair of finding or seeing

was now almost given over, the ponds and even the river … having been dragged — S.T.Coleridge

intransitive verb

: to bring an activity or a course of action to an end : stop

mother told him to give over and let me alone — Brendan Behan

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give over

1. To transfer

2. To desist from, to cease (Scot and N Eng dialect)

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Main Entry: ↑give

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ˌgive ˈover [intransitive/transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they give over he/she/it gives over present participle giving over past tense gave over past participle given over] british informal phrasal verb

to stop doing something

‘You know how fond I am of you.’ ‘Oh, give over, will you?’

give over doing something:

Give over making that noise!

Thesaurus: to stop doing something_synonym to kill a person or animal_synonym

Main entry: give

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[often in imperative] Brit., informal stop doing something

■ used to express vehement disagreement or denial

I suggested her salary might be £100,000. "Give over!"

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give over [phrasal verb]

Brit informal : to stop doing something that is annoying or unpleasant

Oh, give over! I'm tired of your complaints!

— often + -ing verb

They eventually gave over bothering me [=stopped bothering me] and let me alone.

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Main Entry: ↑give

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ˌgive ˈover derived

(BrE, informal) used to tell sb to stop doing sth

•

Give over, Chris! You're hurting me.

•

\give over doing sth

Give over complaining!

Main entry: ↑give_derived