Would you use "gift" as a verb?

[CTyankee]

Because I write about art, I notice how many times I have seen the word "gift" used as a verb in articles about donated art by rich families to museums. I wonder if this is OK for charitable gifts but not for use in other contexts.

Your thoughts?

[calguy]

1. As in 'gifting' or 'gifted'

instead of saying giving or given.

[Ocelot II]

2. No. It's really irritating when used that way.

What's wrong with "give" or "gave"? To say "He gifted a donation to the museum" is just grating. Why not use "gave," the existing verb?

[Septua]

3. Appears to be acceptable grammar

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/gift-as-a-verb#:~:text=Gift%20as%20a%20verb%20has,an%20acceptable%20and%20efficient%20alternative.

Gift as a verb has a 400-year history of use and means “to present someone with a gift.” Some feel strongly that give is the correct word, but gift-as-a-verb is an acceptable and efficient alternative. Since the 1990s the word has surged in popularity, perhaps in part because of a well-known Seinfeld episode concerning “regifting” and “degifting.”

Nowadays, seems some people use all kinds of words in a manner not traditionally used; especially in politics, like 'woke'.

[cbabe]

4. Yes, Gift is a Verb

It sounds wrong or tacky or affected to my ears. But has been in use for 400 years so I suppose I’m behind the times.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/gift-as-a-verb

[CTyankee]

7. Yes, it is a bit affected. In terms of art donations, I think it elevates the donation a bit and sounds appropriately

"classy" and graceful.

[fierywoman]

5. That's what I love about English -- we can use nouns as verbs if we want to.

I did something similar in Italian, in Italy, when speaking to a very progressive Italian friend -- he got very upset, barely able to spit out the words, "You can't do that!" In English we have the word, the concept of, "freedom." In Italian they only have "liberty." Enjoy your freedom to use gift as a verb -- or feel free not to.

[NoRethugFriends]

6. Very much dislike.

Even bigger dislike is "grow" used in "grow a business"

[CTyankee]

8. what word would you use instead of grow in that context?

[ailsagirl]

20. Never heard that one!!

And I certainly agree

[NoRethugFriends]

23. very big in the business world, which thankfully I'm retired from.

[ailsagirl]

44. Great news!! 👍👍

[Wonder Why]

9. I don't but others do. I could care less.

[Ocelot II]

26. While we're at it, "could care less" suggests that you do care,

because you're saying that you might possibly (could) care less than you do. Isn't the correct expression "couldn't care less," meaning you are at the rock bottom of caring so it is not possible for you to care any less?

[Wonder Why]

39. You are correct! I couldn't care less. But I cared fore your reminder. Thanks.

[hlthe2b]

10. I have had to get used to a lot of jarring "acceptable changes" to grammar, spelling, pronunciation

and newly created "words" in recent decades. Some doreally rankle me (as when Merriam Webster gave in to the Bushies* and included "NU-KU-Lar" as an alternative pronunciation for nuclear--just because GWB* and several others could not pronounce it.

So, I guess it gets filed under "pick your battles."

But in answer, "gifting" as a verb is not (for me) the most irritating noun newly accepted as a verb. Every few years another generation comes up with more examples and it falls to the rest of us to accept them--whether we want to or not. English is ever-changing. I am told the only language more rapidly changing is Japanese (I have a friend whose knowledge of her birth language stopped at age 5. Now she incites much laughter with her attempts to speak)

[Gruenemann]

55. "Nucular" is older than GWB

Eisenhower pronounced it that way. I think Walter Cronkite did, too.

[hlthe2b]

57. I am well aware.. But Merriam Webster only bowed to public pressure after GWB* was mocked widely...

bowing to RW pressure...

[unblock]

11. Baffled what the objection is

"Gift" is unambiguously charity.

"Give" is not. It *can* refer to a gift, but it could imply an expectation (at least) of something in return.

For instance, here, let me give you my lawn mower, I'm moving into an apartment and won't need it any more. But if you're not using your bread maker anymore, I'd love to have fresh bread now and again.

Sure, context usually makes it clear, but why not have an unambiguous word for it?

Especially given the modern use of "regifting". Should we say regiving instead?

"Gifting" carries an implication that it's associated with an event such as a birthday, or a holiday. "Giving" does not.

[CTyankee]

12. Not sure about that. Lots of charities use the word "give" and "giving" in their messaging, as in "charitable giving."

But of course they also say "make your charitable gift today to...."

[unblock]

13. I'm not arguing against using "give". Just saying nothing's wrong with "gift" as a verb.

To me, anyway.

[SarahD]

19. Good distinction. Hold that line.

Gifting and giving are each appropriate in a particular circumstance, but I don't see them as absolute synonyms. I think you drew the line where it belongs.

[SarahD]

14. I'll leave you know.

Probably gift you a phone call at some future point in time.

[LastDemocratInSC]

15. "He's a gifted person" shouldn't mean that he got new socks for his birthday.

[Easterncedar]

16. The loss of gave and given

Is bothersome to me. I think when “donated” is the meaning, it’s a tad less annoying, but it’s so often just used, it seems, to avoid the irregular verb forms.

Like using “impact” as a verb to disguise your confusion between “affect” and “effect”.

[SarahD]

18. Can we diaiogue about this?

I enjoy a good gerund as much as anyone, but I try to control myself.

[CTyankee]

31. It's overused, IMO. I want to get away from something being "impactful, " too. What would you suggest?

Since I write about art, "impactful" is a word I could easily use a lot. I try to stay away from it. The late, great art critic Peter Sjeldahl for The New Yorker magazine wrote terrific art reviews. He never got past a sophomore year in college but he hated writing anything pretentiously and his reviews were terrific. I have every book of reviews he published.

[SarahD]

17. They call me Little Miss Pedantic Language Person.

I try to keep quiet, but I sometimes correct my friends when they try to run the gauntlet or throw down the gamut. They invariably blow me off anyway. As you would expect, I am not in favor of using gift as a verb, except when speaking of birthday presents and such..

[CTyankee]

21. I think saying "she is a gifted artist" is fine. Calling someone "gifted" is a nice compliment, IMO, if sincerely meant

[sinkingfeeling]

22. No, I would not.

[soldierant]

24. i'm not comfortable using "gift" as a verb

but I do use "regift" as a verb - as in "If it doesn't work out, feel free to regift it."

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Don't Think I Have

But, at this point I acknowledge that it's accepted usage now.

[Croney]

27. No but I'm slow, I missed the memo about it being ok to use "invite" as a noun.

[cachukis]

28. Why not? Language is used by speakers and writers

long before dictionaries.
Ebonics is a much faster means of expression with those who use it.
Conversate is now in the dictionary because it's usage has been accepted by those who accept it.

[randr]

29. If I gift you by saying yes would you understand?

[Mme. Defarge]

30. Non!

Not in English, pas en français.

[PJMcK]

32. During the Valentine fund raiser on DU...

… I gifted you a heart for your posts.

It’s an appalling evolution, in my opinion. But there are so many misused and misunderstood words in use today that I can’t get too upset about it.

[Paladin]

33. Nope. (nt)

[malthaussen]

34. No, but it is a legitimate usage.

Goes back quite a few centuries. It fell out of fashion, and now it's back in fashion.

-- Mal

[Donkees]

35. Donating art to museums involves lawyers, contracts, stipulations, rights, etc., it's not really freely 'gifted'

when there are negotiated strings attached on both sides.

[swimboy]

36. Lend is all but extinct as a verb

in favor of the noun loan as a verb.

[Emile]

37. Never ever gave it as any thoughts till now. Now

I have a headache, thanks.

[CTyankee]

38. I'm sorry...

[Not Heidi]

40. Absolutely not.

Gift is a noun. Give is a verb.

She gifted me a necklace. NO.
She gave me a necklace. YES.

Simple.

[sakabatou]

41. No, not "gift" by itself

It's either a noun or adjective.

[LudwigPastorius]

42. It may be correct, but I'm not a fan of it being used that way.

"Friend" is another one.

I'm not going to "friend" you, but I will "befriend" you.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

43. Oddly, I think "gift" is a noun, but "regift" is a verb.

Not that I would know anything about regifting, of course.

[AnnaLee]

45. Gift has a clear meaning than give, IMO. ntp

[Paladin]

46. Never.

And I would have a poor opinion of anyone who did.

[OldBaldy1701E]

47. I would say it depends on the context, to be honest.

I see it as being used as a verb when someone wants to describe how they got the donation, or whatever it being referred to. (Yeah yeah, preposition.) Saying whatever was 'gifted' means it was given to someone without reparation or favor. As in I gifted the museum my grandfather's watch because of his involvement in some historical moment. Seeing this lets others know that the watch was given to the museum without a return. Otherwise, it was 'sold' to the museum, or it was 'loaned' to the museum.

That is just my thought about it.

[Mr.Bill]

48. I've never gotten used to

using "party" as a verb.

[Upthevibe]

49. CTyankee ...

In my world/life....Gifted has always also been a verb (as well, of course, as a noun)

[Emile]

50. If you use it to describe an action, yes.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

51. Are you a gifted child?

[wnylib]

52. I would not use "gift" as a verb when speaking to

a native German speaker, and would be cautious about even using it as a noun.

[CTyankee]

56. Would you object to the usage as in: "He was a gifted musician"?

[Dear_Prudence]

58. This door is alarmed

"He was a gifted musician" uses "gifted" as an adjective, which is fine.
"He was gifted a musician" uses "gifted" as a verb, which is acceptable grammatically, but it is certainly unethical to give people as gifts. There is formal or academic language, and "gifted" sounds nonstandard or informal to my ear. I wouldn't recommend using it in a thesis. I wouldn't recommend that a minister paraphrase, "The three kings gifted the newborn King."
I won't start a new thread, but I really hated the sign on an exit door at work that read "This door is alarmed". I was an editor for one of the departments and I really wanted to deploy my red pen.

[wnylib]

63. Or, attach a note to the alarmed door sign requesting

a tranquilizer for the door.

In my post #52, I was referring to the fact that, in German, the word "gift" means "poison."

[wnylib]

62. Per my post, it depends on whether I was speaking to

a person whose first language is German and whether the musician was ill or dead.

In German, the word gift means "poison."

[Dear_Prudence]

64. Yikes!

Thanks, I missed the German language implications.

[Jilly_in_VA]

53. I would not

It annoys the heck out of me, although not nearly as much as the current use of "shined" instead of "shone". That one totally burns my biscuits, and even more so the people who insist that it's correct! I also dislike the use of "impacted" as a verb and "impactful".

[rsdsharp]

54. I wouldn't; I find it jarring. But I also wouldn't use "fellowship" as a verb,

and the trend of omitting “to be” drives me nuts. “It needs cleaned,” instead of “It needs to be cleaned.” When did that become a thing?

[Harker]

59. To be or not to be...

I lived in Western Pennsylvania for a couple years. Many people drop "to be" there.

I rarely heard it in the preceding sixty years spent in suburban Chicago and Colorado.

[ailsagirl]

60. Per Merriam Webster

Gift as a verb has a 400-year history of use and means “to present someone with a gift.” Some feel strongly that give is the correct word, but gift-as-a-verb is an acceptable and efficient alternative.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/gift-as-a-verb#:~:text=Yes%2C%20Gift%20is%20a%20Verb&text=Gift%20has%20been%20used%20to,a%20gift%22%20for%20400%20years.

[Dulcinea]

61. Depends on the context.

I'm in a Facebook Buy Nothing group. In that setting, people say "I'm gifting (whatever they're giving away)" or "This object has been gifted." Not other than that for me, though.