giveaway
giveaway — adjective
- giveawaypositive
- more giveawaycomparative
- most giveawaysuperlative
1. priced far below the normal or expected cost, usually to attract customers or cl
priced far below the normal or expected cost, usually to attract customers or clear out stock
The furniture store is selling sofas at giveaway prices this weekend.
collocation: giveaway price / giveaway deal
Arun picked up a brand new laptop for a giveaway price at the closing-down sale.
Isabella found a room at giveaway rates when the ski resort was about to close for the season.
A small bakery near the station offers giveaway deals on day-old pastries.
- rock-bottom
more informal, often used for prices that cannot go lower
- bargain
used as an adjective mainly in 'bargain price'; broader meaning of good value
- exorbitant
describes a price that is unreasonably high
文法句型
giveaway + noun (price, deal, offer)
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun like 'price', 'deal', 'offer', or 'rate'. The adjective has no comparative or superlative form.
常見錯誤
giveaway — noun
- giveawaysingular
- giveawaysplural
1. a product or item that a business gives free to customers, often to promote sale
a product or item that a business gives free to customers, often to promote sales or attract new buyers
Customers who spend over fifty dollars receive a free tote bag as a giveaway.
countable noun: a giveaway
The bookstore is offering a free calendar as a giveaway with every purchase this month.
Farid collected three giveaway items at the trade fair, such as a mini speaker.
The Huang family visits the annual toy fair every spring just for the free giveaways for their twin daughters.
The store advertised a free giveaway of umbrellas to the first hundred shoppers.
- freebie
more informal, often for small promotional items
- complimentary item
more formal, used in official or business contexts
文法句型
giveaway + noun (product)
something is a giveaway (with an offer)
用法筆記
Common in marketing and retail contexts. Often used in the phrase 'free giveaway' even though the 'free' part is technically redundant.
常見錯誤
2. a detail, action, or signal that accidentally reveals a secret, a hidden feeling
a detail, action, or signal that accidentally reveals a secret, a hidden feeling, or the truth about a situation
The dust on the bookshelf was a dead giveaway that nobody had entered the room for months.
common phrase: a dead giveaway + that-clause
Hana tried to act calm, but her shaky hands were a giveaway that she was nervous.
pattern: giveaway + that-clause
The small logo on the corner of the painting was the only giveaway that it was a fake.
When Kwame smiled at the question, that smile was a dead giveaway that he already knew the answer.
The giveaway that someone had been in my office was the coffee cup left on the desk.
文法句型
something is a dead giveaway
the giveaway is that...
用法筆記
Very frequently used in the fixed phrase 'a dead giveaway' (meaning an absolutely unmistakable clue). The adjective 'dead' adds emphasis and cannot be replaced by synonyms like 'deadly' or 'clear' without changing the idiom.
常見錯誤
3. a mistake or error during a game that allows the opposing team to gain control o
a mistake or error during a game that allows the opposing team to gain control of the ball, puck, or scoring advantage
The quarterback's fumble in the last quarter was a costly giveaway that lost the game.
collocation: costly giveaway
The Taipei Bears forced three giveaways in the second quarter against the Kaohsiung Eagles and turned each into a fast-break basket.
collocation: force a giveaway; sports context with team names
Diego committed a giveaway when he passed the ball straight to the opposing forward.
Coach Rivera reviews game footage every Monday morning to identify passing patterns that lead to giveaways in close games.
- takeaway
the act of gaining possession from the opponent
文法句型
commit a giveaway
force a giveaway
用法筆記
Mainly used in American football, basketball, and ice hockey. The verb phrase 'give away' is more common in British English sports contexts for the same idea.
giveaway — verb
- giveawaypresent simple I / you / we / they
- giveaways3rd person singular
- giveawaying-ing form
- giveawayedpast simple
1. to give something to someone without asking for money or payment in return, usua
to give something to someone without asking for money or payment in return, usually as a gift or for a charitable purpose
Noam decided to give away all his old clothes to a local homeless shelter.
pattern: give away + object to [recipient]
The company is giving away free samples of their new coffee blend at supermarkets.
Lucia gave her collection of novels away to the school library before she moved abroad.
The billionaire pledged to give away most of his fortune before his death.
Farmers in the village gave away baskets of vegetables to families who had lost their crops in the flood.
- sell
to exchange something for money
文法句型
give away + noun
give + noun + away
用法筆記
Typically written as two words ('give away') in standard English. The one-word form 'giveaway' as a verb is less common in formal writing but appears in some dictionaries. The object can go between 'give' and 'away' or after 'away'.
常見錯誤
2. to tell or show something that was supposed to stay hidden or private, such as a
to tell or show something that was supposed to stay hidden or private, such as a secret plan, surprise, or ending
Deepa accidentally gave away the ending of the film when she mentioned the final plot twist.
collocation: give away the ending; when-clause
Please do not give away the answer to the puzzle — the other students still want to solve it.
imperative: please do not give away; dash for explanation
The look on Emma's face gave away how excited she was about the surprise party.
The reporter promised not to give away the politician's plan before the official announcement.
Santi's trembling voice gave away the fact that he was lying about where he had been.
- conceal
to keep something hidden on purpose
- keep secret
to deliberately not tell anyone
文法句型
give away + noun (secret, plan, answer)
give + noun + away
give away + that-clause
用法筆記
This is the most frequent sense of 'give away' and often describes unintentional telling through facial expressions, body language, or careless words. Distinguish from sense 3 (BETRAY SOMEONE) where the object is a person; here the object is a secret or piece of information.
常見錯誤
3. to reveal someone's hiding place, identity, or secret to an enemy or authority,
to reveal someone's hiding place, identity, or secret to an enemy or authority, putting that person at risk
The escaped prisoner was afraid his accent would give him away at the border checkpoint.
pattern: give + person + away
A local villager gave the resistance fighters away to the soldiers for a reward.
Jack's loud laugh during the hiding game gave his little brother away immediately.
The spy was terrified that a careless phone call would give away his location to the agency.
文法句型
give away + person
give + person + away
give away + secret to + person
用法筆記
In this sense the object is typically a person or their hiding place/location. When the person is a pronoun (him, her, them), it must go between 'give' and 'away'.
常見錯誤
4. to officially lead the bride to the groom during a wedding ceremony and symbolic
to officially lead the bride to the groom during a wedding ceremony and symbolically place her under the groom's care
Sofia's father will give her away at the wedding ceremony next Saturday.
collocation: give away the bride
Since Priya's father had passed away, her eldest uncle proudly gave her away at the traditional ceremony.
concrete family scenario; motive clause: since...
Yuki's uncle, dressed in a crisp grey suit, proudly gave her away at the garden wedding ceremony last October.
Grandfather Theo was proud to give his granddaughter away at her small countryside wedding.
文法句型
give away + person (the bride)
give + person + away
用法筆記
Almost exclusively a wedding-ceremony expression. The person who 'gives the bride away' is traditionally the bride's father, though the role can be filled by any close family member or friend. The pronoun 'her' refers to the bride.
常見錯誤
5. to offer an opponent a head start or advantage in a competition, such as extra w
to offer an opponent a head start or advantage in a competition, such as extra weight in horse racing or extra strokes in golf
The experienced golfer gave away ten strokes to the beginners so the match would be fair.
collocation: give away strokes; purpose clause: so the match would be fair
In horse racing, a stronger horse may give away several pounds of weight to lighter competitors.
comparative: stronger...lighter; modal: may give away
Vikram gave away fifteen points in the chess match because his opponent was a young player.
The champion runner gave away a five-meter head start to prove she could still win the race.
- receive a handicap
to be the one who gets the advantage from the other player
文法句型
give away + weight/points/advantage
give away + amount + to + person
用法筆記
This is a specialized sports sense, most common in golf (giving strokes), horse racing (giving weight), and games where handicapping is standard practice. Not to be confused with sense 3 (sports turnover noun) — this verb sense describes intentionally offering an advantage, not making a mistake.