give out
Wear out or quit on you. Also, to announce something.
Also called give-out, plumb give out.
Updated September 21, 2026
give out pronunciation
/GIV out/
Meaning
Mostly means fail from tiredness or breakdown. A person says I'm give out after a long day. A truck give out on the hill. Past tense often stays give, not gave. In church and meeting talk, give out can also mean announce (the preacher give out the hymn). Context tells you which job the phrase is doing.
How folks use it
- “I'm plumb give out after stacking that hay.”
- “The old truck give out halfway to town.”
Origin and etymology
Older English used give out for fail or cease. That sense stuck hard in Southern and South Midland speech; DARE marks it chiefly there. Mountain collections from Civil War letters to modern oral history keep I'm give out for bone-tired. The announce sense is wider English (give out the news) and still shows up in rural churches.
Frequently asked questions
Why do people say "I'm give out" instead of "I gave out"?
Mountain grammar often keeps give in the past: it give out, I'm give out. It sounds right to local ears even if a textbook frowns.