give back

phraseA2Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To give back is to return what you borrowed to its owner. It was never yours.

It splits round an object, so you give it back. The phrase covers objects, money and, more abstractly, freedom or dignity, since a treatment can give somebody back their independence. There is a modern sense about generosity, since giving back to a community means contributing to it after doing well, and that use is common in interviews. Give-and-take is a separate phrase about compromise.

Definitions of give back

1phrasegive backTo return something to its owner.A2
“You will have to give back the keys on Friday.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 13 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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give back

phraseA2Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To give back is to return what you borrowed to its owner. It was never yours.

Definitions of give back

1phrasegive backTo return something to its owner.A2
“You will have to give back the keys on Friday.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 13 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word