give someone grief
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I'll give you some grief if you say
Sounds like someone is giving you grief?
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “give someone grief” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “give someone grief” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.