give out
3 meanings
hand something to each person in a group
What does "give out" mean in this sense?
Examples
- The volunteers gave out food parcels to people waiting in line.
- Can you give these permission slips out before the end of class?
- The tickets are being given out at the main entrance from 6 p.m.
How to use it
The most common pattern, used when a longer noun phrase follows the particle.
The organisers gave out programmes at the door before the show started.
Short noun phrases and pronouns are very commonly placed between the verb and the particle.
The teacher gave the worksheets out at the start of the lesson.
Pronouns must always go between the verb and the particle — never after 'out'.
We had hundreds of flyers, so we gave them out near the entrance.
The passive form is natural when the focus is on the items being distributed rather than who is doing the distributing.
The questionnaires were given out to all the employees at the start of the meeting.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When you use a pronoun as the object, it must go between 'give' and 'out'. Putting the pronoun after 'out' is ungrammatical in English.
'Give away' suggests that something is free of charge, while 'give out' simply describes the act of distributing to multiple people and says nothing about the cost. Use 'give out' when the focus is on distribution, not on the price.
In the 'distribute' sense, 'give out' always needs an object — the thing being distributed. Without an object, the phrase suggests a completely different meaning, such as a machine or person stopping working.
Usage
'Give out' is neutral and works in both spoken and written English, but in formal writing 'distribute' is often preferred. It is common in British and American English equally.
stop working (a machine, your body, your strength)
Sense 2: What does "give out" mean?
Examples
- Her voice gave out halfway through the speech and she had to stop.
- The old car's engine finally gave out on the motorway last night.
- I was almost at the finish line when my legs completely gave out.
How to use it
Used when a part of the body fails involuntarily under physical strain or exhaustion.
He was halfway up the stairs when his knees gave out.
Used when a mechanical or electronic device stops functioning, often after prolonged use.
The heating gave out on the coldest night of the year.
Used when something like strength, patience, or energy is completely depleted.
After three hours of negotiations, his patience finally gave out.
Adverbs like 'finally', 'suddenly', 'almost', and 'completely' are frequently used to add emphasis or describe how the failure happened.
The old generator suddenly gave out during the performance.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Give up' describes a conscious decision to stop doing something, while 'give out' describes involuntary failure beyond anyone's control. You can choose to give up, but your legs give out on their own.
In this sense, 'give out' is intransitive — it never takes an object. If you add a noun after it, the meaning shifts to 'distribute', which is a completely different sense.
The present continuous sounds unnatural with this phrasal verb unless something is actively failing at that exact moment. For general or habitual failure, use the simple present or past instead.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both spoken and written English. It is used for body parts, machines, or abstract resources, and often suggests the failure came after a period of strain.
produce light, heat, sound, or a signal
Sense 3: What does "give out sth" mean?
Examples
- The old wood-burning stove gives out an incredible amount of heat.
- The device was giving out a faint beeping signal every few seconds.
- Those energy-saving bulbs gave out surprisingly bright light.
How to use it
This is the core pattern: a physical object produces and releases a form of energy or a signal.
The old radiator gives out an impressive amount of heat even on the coldest days.
Adding a quantifier like 'a lot of', 'very little', or 'a faint' before the object makes the sentence feel more natural and precise.
The tiny candle gives out very little light, but it creates a nice atmosphere.
Use 'a' before a singular noun phrase describing the emission, especially with glow, hum, signal, or smell.
The broken device was giving out a faint electronic hum throughout the night.
In more technical or scientific contexts, 'give out' is used with broader energy-related nouns.
The antenna gives out radio waves that can be detected from several kilometres away.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Because this sense is inseparable and tied to concrete emission nouns, using a pronoun like 'it' completely changes the meaning — 'give it out' sounds like the distribution sense (handing something to people). Always use a specific noun such as 'heat', 'light', or 'a signal'.
Unlike some phrasal verbs, this sense of 'give out' cannot be separated. Placing the object between 'give' and 'out' either sounds unnatural or shifts the meaning toward the distribution sense.
'Give off' and 'give out' overlap, but 'give off' is the more natural choice for smells, gases, and fumes, while 'give out' fits better with heat, light, and sound. Using 'give out' for odours can sound slightly awkward in casual speech.
Usage
This sense is neutral and works well in both spoken and written English when describing physical sources of energy. It is very close in meaning to 'give off', which is slightly more common for smells and gases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'give out' have other meanings? I've seen it used in different ways.
Yes, 'give out' has more than one meaning, but context makes it clear which one is intended. This entry covers only the 'distribute' meaning, which always has an object like leaflets, forms, or prizes. A separate section on this page covers the other senses.
What kinds of things can you 'give out'?
You can give out physical items like leaflets, flyers, forms, worksheets, samples, tickets, and prizes. You can also give out non-physical things like information or instructions. The key idea is that something is being distributed to a group of people.
Can 'give out' be used in formal writing?
It can be used in most written contexts, but in very formal or official documents, 'distribute' is often preferred. For emails, reports, or everyday written English, 'give out' is perfectly natural.
Is 'give out' more British or American English?
It is equally common in both British and American English. You will hear it in classrooms, workplaces, and at events in both varieties without any difference in meaning.
Can I say 'the forms were given out' without saying who gave them out?
Yes, the passive form is very natural when you want to focus on the items being distributed rather than on the person doing it. For example, 'The forms were given out before the exam started' is completely correct and common.
Can 'give out' describe non-physical things like hope or willpower?
Yes, it can be used metaphorically for abstract resources such as patience, hope, willpower, or energy. The key is that the loss must feel involuntary — something that simply ran out, not something you chose to abandon. For example, 'After weeks of setbacks, her optimism finally gave out' works naturally.
What's the difference between 'give out' and 'break down' for machines?
'Break down' is more commonly used for vehicles and machines and simply means they stop working. 'Give out' can also describe machines, but it more strongly suggests the failure came after a period of gradual depletion or strain — as if the machine ran out of capacity rather than developing a sudden fault.
Is it natural to say 'my phone gave out'?
Yes, this is a natural and common use, especially in informal speech. It typically means the battery died or the device stopped functioning at a critical moment. It's often used with a slightly dramatic tone, as in 'My phone gave out right before I needed it most.'
Why does 'finally' appear so often with 'give out'?
'Finally' fits naturally because 'give out' often implies that something had been under stress or strain for a while before it failed completely. The word 'finally' captures that sense of a buildup leading to an inevitable end point. You'll see it in sentences like 'After years of heavy use, the engine finally gave out.'
Does 'give out' mean the same thing in British and American English?
Yes, this sense of 'give out' is widely understood and used in both British and American English with no significant difference in meaning. It's a neutral, everyday expression in both varieties.
Can 'give out' be used in the passive, like 'heat is given out by the sun'?
Technically it's grammatically possible, but it sounds stilted and unnatural. Native speakers almost never use this phrasal verb in the passive for the emission sense. It's far more natural to keep the physical source as the subject: 'The sun gives out enormous amounts of energy.'
Does 'give out' always mean emit something? I've heard it used in other ways.
'Give out' has a few quite different meanings depending on context. This entry covers only the emission sense — when a physical source produces heat, light, sound, or a signal. The subject and object are the key clues: a physical source giving out a form of energy points to this sense.
What kinds of things can be the subject of 'give out' in this sense?
The subject should be a physical source of energy — things like lamps, fires, radiators, speakers, the sun, devices, or antennas. It's not used with people or institutions as the subject in this emission sense, since that would point to the distribution meaning instead.
Is this sense of 'give out' used more in speaking or writing?
It works naturally in both. You'll find it in everyday explanatory speech ('this heater gives out a lot of warmth'), as well as in product descriptions, instructional texts, and science writing. It's neither particularly informal nor overly formal.
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