to give in
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To confess oneself beaten, to yield. To give it anyone, to give it him hot. To scold or thrash a person. As "I gave it him right and left." "I'll give it you when I catch you.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to give in” mean?
To confess oneself beaten, to yield. To give it anyone, to give it him hot. To scold or thrash a person. As "I gave it him right and left." "I'll give it you when I catch you.
Is “to give in” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.