give up the ghost
To cease clinging to lifeTo cease clinging to life; to die.
» He finally gave up the ghost.
AutoBot · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(idiomatic, intransitive)To cease clinging to life; to die.
den Geist aufgeben
испусти́ть духispustítʹ dux
(figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive)To quit; to cease functioning.
My old computer finally gave up the ghost the other day.
(intransitive)To cede a commitment to or identification with.
Examples
8 sentencesHe finally gave up the ghost.
This engine sometimes gives up the ghost.
deDiese Maschine hat manchmal Aussetzer. — Tamy
Our television gave up the ghost yesterday.
deUnser Fernsehgerät hat gestern den Geist aufgegeben. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Tom's car gave up the ghost.
Tom's car finally gave up the ghost.
deToms Wagen hat endlich den Geist aufgegeben. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Literally, to release one's spirit or soul from the body at death. From Middle English "gaLiterally, to release one's spirit or soul from the body at death. From Middle English "gaf up þe gost", "ȝave up þe gost", from Old English phrases as "hēo āġeaf hire gāst" (literally, "she gave up her ghost [spirit]"), "þæt iċ gāst mīnne āġifan mōte" (literally, "that I must give up my ghost [spirit]"). Compare German den Geist aufgeben, Dutch de geest geven, French rendre l'âme.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
gives up the ghost, giving up the ghost, gave up the ghost, given up the ghost| Base form | give up the ghost · to give up the ghost |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | gives up the ghost |
| Present participle | giving up the ghost |
| Past simple | gave up the ghost |
| Past participle | given up the ghost |
irregular · Lesson
Synonyms
86 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.