give a fuck

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɪvəˌfʌk/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

give a fuck (third-person singular simple present gives a fuck, present participle giving a fuck, simple past gave a fuck, past participle given a fuck)

1. (idiomatic, vulgar, chiefly in the negative) To care; to give a shit.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:care

   The committee doesn't give a fuck about this issue, but you know what, I give a fuck!

   • 1992, “I Don’t Give a Fuck”, Tupac Amaru Shakur (music)‎^[1]:

     I don't give a fuck/They done pushed me to my limit, I'm all in/I might blow up any minute, did it again

   • 2010, “The Pope Song”, Tim Minchin (music)‎^[2]:

     And I don't give a fuck if calling the pope a motherfucker / means you unthinkingly brand me an unthinking apostate.

   • 2016, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Retirement Plans”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 15, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:

     We did some very rough estimates, and, with 35 employees contributing just $6,000 a year, after 30 years, half a percent could add up to roughly a million dollars! That number was so high you’ll never guess what happened: Janice in accounting actually gave a fuck! I’m serious! She’s a changed woman now!

   • 2023 November 11, Emma Jacobs, quoting Aline Brosh McKenna, “When will I start caring less about everything?”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 4:

     Aline Brosh McKenna, one of the creators of The CW TV series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, told a reporter in 2020: “I often say, ‘Lord, give me the moxie of a post-menopausal women^[sic] who gives absolutely no fucks.’”

Derived terms

• give a flying fuck
• zero fucks given
• give two fucks

Translations

give a shit — see give a shit