ENGLISH
REFERENCE

give up on

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to stop hoping that someone will improve or that something will succeed.

phr. v.. to cease to have expectations for or faith in a person, project, or outcome; often implies a loss of patience or belief in potential.


SIMPLE

Don't give up on your dreams.

CONTEXTUAL

The coach refused to give up on the team even after they lost five games in a row.

COMPLEX

Despite several failed prototypes, the lead engineer was not prepared to give up on the original design concept just yet.

Particles
up on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
give + up + on + object
Usage

followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form) representing the person or thing being abandoned.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'give up' (to stop an activity); 'give up on' specifically requires an object and focuses on the loss of faith or hope in that object.

Pitfall

He gave up on to learn piano.He gave up on learning piano.the preposition 'on' must be followed by a gerund (-ing) rather than an infinitive.

© 2026 English Reference