AAAmerican Accent US

give back

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: give BACK. Saying “GIVE back” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

No pause between the words. /v/ runs straight into /b/ — “give back” is one rhythmic unit with a single stressed beat on the particle.

What it means

  1. To return something to its owner.

    • “Give it back — that's mine.”
    • “He gave back every penny he'd borrowed.”

    Similar: return

The particle logic

back

Something returns to where it was, or is held in reserve.

Listen + practice

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More GIVE phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

give up

To stop trying to do something.

give in

To stop resisting and accept what someone else wants.

give away

To donate something without payment.

give out

To distribute something to many people.

give off

To emit heat, light, a smell or an impression.

give up on

To lose faith in a person, plan or possibility.

give back — meaning, examples & how to say it