give out — distribute
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to hand something to each person in a group; to distribute.
Say it like a native
Textbook The volunteers will distribute the leaflets to attendees.
Native The volunteers will give out the leaflets.
'Give out' is the everyday verb for handing things to people one by one. 'Distribute to attendees' is admin-speak.
Pattern: give out [something] (to [someone])
In use
- The teacher gave out the exam papers to the students.daily life
- In my school, the principal would often give out certificates to students who did well in their exams.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She gave out us the worksheets.
✓ She gave us the worksheets. / She gave out the worksheets.
Don't put the recipient between 'give' and 'out'. Use 'give out + thing', or 'give + person + thing'.
Common collocations
give out + items— leaflets, free samples, sweets, prizes
Don't confuse it
'Give out' (distribute) is different from 'give away', which often means to give something for free, usually as a gift.
Related
- give out (stop working) — Another meaning of 'give out' is 'stop working'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.