/ gɪft; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a thing that you give to sb, especially on a special occasion or to say thank you
SYN present :
The watch was a gift from my mother.
Thank you for your generous gift.
a free gift for every reader
the gift of life
( formal )
The family made a gift of his paintings to the gallery.
gifts of toys for the children
2.
gift (for sth / for doing sth) a natural ability
SYN talent :
She has a great gift for music.
He has the gift of making friends easily.
She can pick up a tune instantly on the piano. It's a gift.
3.
[ usually sing. ] ( informal ) a thing that is very easy to do or cheap to buy :
Their second goal was an absolute gift.
At £500 it's a gift.
•
IDIOMS
- the gift of the gab
- look a gift horse in the mouth
—more at god
■ verb
( BrE ) (used especially in journalism ) to give sth to sb without their having to make any effort to get it :
[ vnn ]
They gifted their opponents a goal.
[ vn ]
They gifted a goal to their opponents.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old Norse gipt ; related to give .