give up the ghost

Meaning

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To cease clinging to life; to die.
2. (figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive) To quit; to cease functioning.
3. (intransitive, with-of) To cede a commitment to or identification with.

Synonyms

die

💀

expire

kick the bucket

breathe one’s last

snuff it

pass away

perish

croak

pass

pass on

pop off

ring down the curtain

peg out

buy the farm

cash in one’s chips

choke

conk

decease

demise

drop dead

exit

go

Translations

den Geist aufgeben

rendre l’âme

πεθαίνω

dahinscheiden

den Löffel abgeben

💀

draufgehen

krepieren

ins Gras beißen

heimgehen

sterben

💀

verrecken

verscheiden

💀

versterben

💀

Hinscheiden

das Zeitliche segnen

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -

Cognate with German: den Geist aufgeben

Cognate with Dutch: de geest geven

In summary

Literally, to release one's spirit or soul from the body at death. From Middle English "gaf up þe gost", "ʒave up þe gost", from Old English phrases as "hēo āġeaf hire gāst" (literally, "she gave up her ghost [spirit]"), "þæt iċ gāst mīnne āġifan mōte" (literally, "that I must give up my ghost [spirit]"). Compare German den Geist aufgeben and Dutch de geest geven.
Perhaps most notable and survived in modern English for being used in traditional translation during the death of Jesus during His crucifixion:
The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Matthew 27:50: “¶ Iesus, when hee had cried againe with a loud voice, yeelded vp the ghost.”