give back
To return something to its owner, or to help others because you feel grateful for your own success.
Meanings
To return something to the person or place it came from.
"Can you give me back my pen when you're done with it?"
To contribute time, money, or effort to help a community or society, especially as an expression of gratitude for one's own success.
"After making his fortune, the entrepreneur wanted to give back by funding local schools."
"We have an obligation to give back to our communities."
— Barack Obama, various speeches on community service
To restore something abstract, such as rights, freedom, or dignity, to someone.
"The new law was intended to give back the rights that had been taken from minorities."
The 'contribute to community' sense ('give back to society') is very common in American English, especially in charity and philanthropy contexts. The basic 'return an object' sense is universal and taught at A2 level.
Commonly used with
Forms
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