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

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Nevertheless, the Texas freshman used his time in the batter's box to pump himself up and seemingly to encourage his teammates not to give up on rallying. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2025 The mother of a missing Long Island political candidate is pleading with rescuers not to give up on their search nearly two weeks after his disappearance. Meredith Kile, People.com, 6 May 2025 Soto sees a fair share of hittable pitches, partly because pitchers sometimes give up on trying to find an edge. Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 But Johnson never wanted to give up on this who landed in her care. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for give up on (someone or something)

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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 15 May. 2025.

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