to give something to someone
These words mean to provide someone with something.
The most commonly used word for this is
give.
Give me that dirty plate.
Your teacher will give you more information.
The opposite of give is
receive.
I received some beautiful gifts for my birthday.
For more opposites of give, see the article at
get.
Very common alternatives to give are verbs such as
offer,
provide, and
supply. These verbs are often used to describe giving someone something that they need or have specifically asked for.
Your doctor should be able to offer advice.
This booklet provides useful information about local services.
The lake supplies the whole town with water.
The verb
donate is used when someone gives money or goods to an organization that needs help. You can also
donate blood or a part of your body to help someone who is sick or injured.
Four hundred dollars has been donated to the school book fund.
He urged people to donate blood for the victims.
If you
give something away, you give it to someone without asking for payment.
I've just given all my books away.
If you
gift something, especially money, you give it to someone in an official or formal way.
The company has gifted $5 million to the University.
If one of many people gives something, especially money, in order to provide or achieve something, the verb
contribute is used.
Chip in is more informal, and is used specfically for contributing money.
I contributed £20 towards Jamie's present.
Everyone chipped in £50 to pay for a new computer.
If you put something from your hand into someone else's hand, you can use verbs such as
pass and
hand.
He passed a note to her during the meeting.
Could you hand me that book, please?
The phrasal verbs
hand in and, in UK English,
give in are sometimes used when you give something to someone in a position of authority.
Submit is a more formal word for this that is used in both UK and US English.
Have you handed in your history essay yet?
UK You may have to give in your passport at the hotel reception.
The deadline for submitting applications is 17th May.
The phrasal verb
pass on is often used when you ask someone to give something to someone else.
Could you pass this on to Laura when you've finished reading it?
If something like a prize or an amount of money is given in an official way, you can use verbs like
award or
present.
Confer and
bestow are more formal words for this.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
She was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a cheque for £100.
University degrees were conferred on approximately 3,500 graduates.
This was a unique honour bestowed on very few scholars.
Grant is used to talk about giving something in an official way. It is used when talking about giving permission or fulfilling a request.
The government granted the town permission to open a casino.
Lend, and in formal English,
afford, are used to talk about giving a particular quality to something.
Recent research lends credibility to that belief.
They should be afforded the same protection as other passengers.
That is my Reason