to give up the ghost
01
to stop living
![to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/17775/original/dead?type=jpeg "to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning")
Idiom
Informal
Exempel
After a long battle with illness, the elderly man peacefully gave up the ghost in his sleep.
The old car finally sputtered and gave up the ghost, leaving its owner stranded on the side of the road.
02
(of a machine) to fail to work properly
![to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/49832/original/?type=jpeg "to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning")
IdiomInformalExempel
My old car finally gave up the ghost; it stopped running altogether and could n't be fixed.
The ancient printer in the office gave up the ghost, leaving us unable to print any documents.
03
to put an stop to an activity one knows has very little or no chance of achieving success
Dialect
British
British![to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/43146/original/?type=jpeg "to [give] up the ghost definition and meaning")
Exempel
All I'd cherished from early childhood had been denied me, so I simply gave up the ghost.
