give-and-take
Americannoun
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the practice of dealing by compromise or mutual concession; cooperation.
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good-natured exchange of talk, ideas, etc.
noun
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mutual concessions, shared benefits, and cooperation
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a smoothly flowing exchange of ideas and talk
verb
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The practice of compromise, as in Every contract involves some give and take . This expression was first recorded in 1778, although the verbal idiom, to give and take , was used from the early 1500s.
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Lively exchange of ideas or conversation, as in The legislature is famous for raucous give and take . [Second half of 1800s]
Etymology
Origin of give-and-take
First recorded in 1760–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The give-and-take over bringing state workers into the office is playing out as public agencies take different approaches to remote work since the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times
The European Union, with its cumbersome culture of consensus-building and give-and-take, was the most elaborate expression of that political way of life.
But also Eileen doesn’t quite know what that takes, what a relationship takes, the give-and-take.
From Los Angeles Times
Soon, talking to an actual human being—a person who deserved courtesy, empathy and genuine give-and-take—felt like squeezing into too-tight jeans after a month of living in sweatpants.
Whatever the reason, it’s a shame that one of the couple’s final collaborative works — a very sweet and realistic tale of give-and-take — is all but missing from the documentary about their relationship.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
