From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English give somebody/something away phrasal verb 1 to give something to someone because you do not want or need it for yourself I gave most of my books away when I left college. to Give your old clothes away to a thrift shop. 2 to give something to someone without asking for any money, rather than selling it to them We’re giving away a free diary with tomorrow’s newspaper. to We have 1,000 CDs to give away to our readers. 3 to show where someone is or what they are doing or thinking when they are trying to keep this a secret Don’t worry, I won’t give you away.