Meaning
In Irish English, give out means to complain, grumble, criticize, or scold, often in constructions such as give out about something or give out to someone.
How it is used
Giving out about something centers on complaining or sounding off, while giving out to someone can add the sense of criticizing or scolding that person. Context distinguishes these meanings from standard-English give out senses such as distribute or stop working.
Examples
- “He's always giving out about the traffic.”
- “She gave out to us for being late.”
- “Stop giving out and tell me what happened.”
Pronunciation
· give out
Tone and register
Usually informal and negative in content, but it can range from mild grumbling to a serious reprimand depending on delivery and relationship.
Visitor guidance
Visitors should learn the Irish complaint sense because it can otherwise sound like distributing something. The prepositions about and to often make the intended meaning clear.
Cultural context
Both Cambridge Dictionary and the Foras na Gaeilge English–Irish dictionary record the complaint sense, making it a well-documented example of an ordinary phrasal verb whose regional meaning differs from expectations elsewhere.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.
Comparisons featuring this term
Open reviewed place comparisons that explicitly use this canonical term in their editorial comparison set.