Englishgive in
Meaning: To surrender.
Example: “The toddler cried until his parents gave in and bought him the toy.”
Origin: "Give" here is the structural sense, not the sense of handing something over — the one used when a floor gives, a rope gives, or a hinge gives under load. It describes material that has held out against force and then stopped holding, and the particle "in" specifies the direction of the failure: inward, collapsing toward the thing that was pushing. That is a precise account of what surrender after resistance actually feels like from inside, and it explains why the phrase implies a prior period of holding firm rather than simple compliance. Someone who never resisted cannot give in. The usage is attested in English from the 1600s.
More English idioms
- give someone a song and dance To give someone an overly dramatic or unbelievable excuse.
- go around in circles To be confused or lost; to make no progress.
- go bananas To go crazy; to no longer be able to cope with a situation. To drive someone bananas mean…
- go for broke To risk everything.
- go haywire To malfunction; to break down.
- go off half-cocked To do or say something in haste or without adequate planning or preparation.
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