Difference Wiki

Gift vs. Present

The main difference between the gift and the present is that the gift refers to natural ability or talent given in an informal way and present refers to the act of giving or an award which is given formally or ceremonially.

Key Differences

The gift is a thing given willingly to someone without payment on the flip side. The verb present is to introduce someone to anyone else formally or to give a gift in a formal situation.
Aimie Carlson
Jul 10, 2019
Gifts may also apply to a wide range of situations in referring to abilities and talents while present may also refer to a moment in time and the act of being present.
The gift is the act of giving a gift on the other hand present is the act of giving something formally or ceremonially.
The gift is a natural ability or talent whereas present does not refer to natural talent.
Gift can be concrete or abstract, i.e., a birthday gift or gift of voice by God conversely present is typically concrete, i.e. a birthday present or a Christmas present.

Comparison Chart

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A natural ability or talent gave in an informal way
The act of giving or an award which is given formally or ceremonially
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Etymology

Middle English: from Old Norse gift
Middle English: from Old French

Usage

Formal
Informal

Way of Giving

Informal
Formal

Passes From

High to low
Low to high

Gift and Present Definitions

Gift

Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation
I received several gifts for my birthday. Your gift of $100 is greatly appreciated.

Present

A moment or period in time perceptible as intermediate between past and future; now.
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Gift

The act of giving
The painting came into their possession by gift.

Present

The present tense.

Gift

A talent, endowment, aptitude, or inclination
She has a gift for playing the piano.

Present

A verb form in the present tense.

Gift

To present something as a gift to
Gifted his niece with a watch.

Present

Presents(Law) The document or instrument in question
Be it known by these presents.
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Gift

To give as a gift
"King Charles II ... had gifted the land of Carolina to certain members of his court" (Marilyn Yalom).

Present

Pres·ent (prĕzənt) Something presented; a gift.

Gift

To endow with
Nature has gifted her with a fine voice.

Present

Pre·sent (prĭ-zĕnt) The position of a rifle or other weapon when presented.

Gift

Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.

Present

Existing or happening now; current
The present leader.
Present trends.

Gift

A talent or natural ability.
She had a gift for playing the flute.

Present

Being at hand or in attendance
Thirty guests were present at the ceremony.

Gift

Something gained incidentally, without effort.

Present

Existing in something specified
Oxygen is present in the bloodstream.

Gift

The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing.
The office is in the gift of the President.

Present

Now being considered; actually here or involved
The present subject.
Present company excepted.

Gift

(transitive) To give as a gift or donation.

Present

(Grammar) Designating a verb tense or form that expresses current time.

Gift

(transitive) To give away, to concede easily.

Present

(Archaic) Readily available; immediate.

Gift

Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; a present; an offering.
Shall I receive by gift, what of my own, . . .I can command ?

Present

(Obsolete) Alert to circumstances; attentive.

Gift

The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing; as, the office is in the gift of the President.

Present

To make a gift or award of
Presented the medal to the winner.

Gift

A bribe; anything given to corrupt.
Neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise.

Present

To make a gift to
Presented the winner with a medal.

Gift

Some exceptional inborn quality or characteristic; a striking or special talent or aptitude; power; faculty; as, the gift of wit; a gift for speaking.

Present

To offer for observation, examination, or consideration; show or display
The detective presented his badge.

Gift

A voluntary transfer of real or personal property, without any consideration. It can be perfected only by deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual delivery of possession.

Present

To offer (a play, for example) for public entertainment.

Gift

To endow with some power or faculty. See gift{4}.
He was gifted . . . with philosophical sagacity.

Present

To afford or furnish
The situation presented us with a chance to improve our knowledge.

Gift

Something acquired without compensation

Present

To turn or position in the direction of another
Presented his face to the camera.

Gift

Natural qualities or talents

Present

(Immunology) To display (an antigen) on the cell surface. Used especially of cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells, where the displayed antigen activates T cells as part of an immune response.

Gift

The act of giving

Present

To represent or depict in a certain manner
The movie presents bankers as greedy and coldhearted.

Gift

Give qualities or abilities to

Present

To introduce, especially with formal ceremony.

Gift

Give as a present; make a gift of;
What will you give her for her birthday?

Present

To introduce (a young woman) to society with conventional ceremony.

Present

To hold, carry, or point (a weapon) in a particular manner as a salutation or sign of honor, usually along the center axis of the body.

Present

(Ecclesiastical) To recommend (a cleric) for a benefice.

Present

To make a presentation.

Present

To be evident or manifest. Used of a disease or condition
How Lyme disease presents in its later stages.

Present

To exhibit symptoms or signs during a medical examination
The patient presented with headache and heel pain.

Present

Relating to now, for the time being; current.
The barbaric practice continues to the present day.
The present manager has been here longer than the last one.
Up to the present day.

Present

Located in the immediate vicinity.
Is there a doctor present?
Several people were present when the event took place.

Present

(obsolete) Having an immediate effect (of a medicine, poison etc.); fast-acting.

Present

(obsolete) Not delayed; immediate; instant.

Present

(dated) Ready; quick in emergency.
A present wit

Present

(obsolete) Favorably attentive; propitious.

Present

Relating to something a person is referring to in the very context, with a deictic use similar to the demonstrative adjective this.
In the present study,
The present article,
The present results.

Present

Attentive; alert; focused.
Sorry, I was distracted just now, I'll try to be more present from now on.

Present

The current moment or period of time.

Present

(grammar) The present tense.

Present

A gift, especially one given for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, or any other special occasions.

Present

(military) The position of a soldier in presenting arms.
To stand at present

Present

To bring (someone) into the presence of (a person); to introduce formally.
To present an envoy to the king

Present

(transitive) To nominate (a member of the clergy) for an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution.

Present

(transitive) To offer (a problem, complaint) to a court or other authority for consideration.

Present

To charge (a person) with a crime or accusation; to bring before court.

Present

(reflexive) To come forward, appear in a particular place or before a particular person, especially formally.

Present

(transitive) To put (something) forward in order for it to be seen; to show, exhibit.

Present

(transitive) To make clear to one's mind or intelligence; to put forward for consideration.

Present

(transitive) To put on, stage (a play etc.).
The theater is proud to present the Fearless Fliers.

Present

To point (a firearm) at something, to hold (a weapon) in a position ready to fire.

Present

(reflexive) To offer oneself for mental consideration; to occur to the mind.
Well, one idea does present itself.

Present

To come to the attention of medical staff, especially with a specific symptom.
The patient presented with insomnia.

Present

To appear (in a specific way) for delivery (of a fetus); to appear first at the mouth of the uterus during childbirth.

Present

To appear or represent oneself (as having a certain gender).
At that time, Elbe was presenting as a man.

Present

(transitive) To act as presenter on (a radio, television programme etc.).

Present

(transitive) To give a gift or presentation to (someone).
She was presented with an honorary degree for her services to entertainment.

Present

(transitive) To give (a gift or presentation) to someone; to bestow.

Present

(transitive) To deliver (something abstract) as though as a gift; to offer.
I presented my compliments to Lady Featherstoneshaw.

Present

(transitive) To hand over (a bill etc.) to be paid.

Present

To display one's female genitalia in a way that signals to others that one is ready for copulation. Also referred to as lordosis behaviour.

Present

(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, to have one's secondary sex (alpha, omega, or beta) become apparent, typically at puberty.

Present

Being at hand, within reach or call, within certain contemplated limits; - opposed to absent.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

Present

Now existing, or in process; begun but not ended; now in view, or under consideration; being at this time; not past or future; as, the present session of Congress; the present state of affairs; the present instance.
I'll bring thee to the present business

Present

Not delayed; immediate; instant; coincident.
An ambassador . . . desires a present audience.

Present

Ready; quick in emergency; as a present wit.

Present

Favorably attentive; propitious.
To find a god so present to my prayer.

Present

Present time; the time being; time in progress now, or at the moment contemplated; as, at this present.
Past and present, wound in one.

Present

Present letters or instrument, as a deed of conveyance, a lease, letter of attorney, or other writing; as in the phrase, " Know all men by these presents," that is, by the writing itself, " per has literas praesentes; " - in this sense, rarely used in the singular.

Present

A present tense, or the form of the verb denoting the present tense.

Present

Anything presented or given; a gift; a donative; as, a Christmas present.

Present

The position of a soldier in presenting arms; as, to stand at present.

Present

To bring or introduce into the presence of some one, especially of a superior; to introduce formally; to offer for acquaintance; as, to present an envoy to the king; (with the reciprocal pronoun) to come into the presence of a superior.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the lord.

Present

To exhibit or offer to view or notice; to lay before one's perception or cognizance; to set forth; to present a fine appearance.
Lectorides's memory is ever . . . presenting him with the thoughts of other persons.

Present

To pass over, esp. in a ceremonious manner; to give in charge or possession; to deliver; to make over.
So ladies in romance assist their knight,Present the spear, and arm him for the fight.

Present

To make a gift of; to bestow; to give, generally in a formal or ceremonious manner; to grant; to confer.
My last, least offering, I present thee now.

Present

Hence: To endow; to bestow a gift upon; to favor, as with a donation; also, to court by gifts.
Octavia presented the poet for him admirable elegy on her son Marcellus.

Present

To present; to personate.

Present

To nominate to an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution.
The patron of a church may present his clerk to a parsonage or vicarage; that is, may offer him to the bishop of the diocese to be instituted.

Present

To nominate for support at a public school or other institution .

Present

To appear at the mouth of the uterus so as to be perceptible to the finger in vaginal examination; - said of a part of an infant during labor.

Present

The period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech;
That is enough for the present
He lives in the present with no thought of tomorrow

Present

Something presented as a gift;
His tie was a present from his wife

Present

A verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking

Present

Show or demonstrate something to an interested audience;
She shows her dogs frequently
We will demo the new software in Washington

Present

Bring forward and present to the mind;
We presented the arguments to him
We cannot represent this knowledge to our formal reason

Present

Perform (a play), especially on a stage;
We are going to stage `Othello'

Present

Hand over formally

Present

Introduce;
This poses an interesting question

Present

Give, especially as a reward;
Bestow honors and prizes at graduation

Present

Give as a present; make a gift of;
What will you give her for her birthday?

Present

Deliver (a speech, oration, or idea);
The commencement speaker presented a forceful speech that impressed the students

Present

Cause to come to know personally;
Permit me to acquaint you with my son
Introduce the new neighbors to the community

Present

Represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture, or verbally;
The father is portrayed as a good-looking man in this painting

Present

Present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize;
We confronted him with the evidence
He was faced with all the evidence and could no longer deny his actions
An enormous dilemma faces us

Present

Formally present a debutante, a representative of a country, etc.

Present

Recognize with a gesture prescribed by a miltary regulation; assume a prescribed position;
When the officers show up, the soldiers have to salute

Present

Temporal sense; intermediate between past and future; now existing or happening or in consideration;
The present leader
Articles for present use
The present topic
The present system
Present observations
Time past
His youth is past
This past Thursday
The past year

Present

Spatial sense; being or existing in a specified place;
The murderer is present in this room
Present at the wedding
Present at the creation

Gift vs. Present

Gift refers to something that is given voluntarily and willingly to another person. It is a thing given voluntarily to someone without payment and compensation. Present refers to bringing something to a person, i.e., presenting them with any reward or another thing. A gift is likely to be much more valuable and usually passes from the high to the low, from the rich to the poor. A present, however, passes between equals or from the inferior to the superior. Gift generally has a formal implication than the present. Also, it refers to natural ability, or a miracle like the gift of gab, a gifted artist, and even the gift of life. The term present has an informal implication. It often refers to the humble, simpler or material gifts. Gifts are typically associated with “give gifts” because gifts have become more widely known as something given freely with no restrictions. Presents are usually associated with “receive presents” because they are linked to presentations. Gifts may apply to a wide range of situation, and the word is also used in abstract terms to refer to abilities and talents. Present may refer to a moment in time and the act of being present. The word gift is used with the inherent talent or skill that one has. As God is believed to have given/gifted us these things. Gift applies to a wider range of situations, talents or intangible things. Presents are more concrete and presentable, e.g., medals, birthday presents, trophies, etc.

What is Gift?

The gift comes from the old Germanic root which means “to give.” The present comes from the French for “to present.” A gift is something given willingly and voluntarily to someone without payment. The gift is synonymous with present and reward. Gift can be an attributive noun, acting as an adjective to modify another noun. The gift also refers to natural ability or talent. Gifts also refer to the presents you give to your friends and family as well as donations and rewards you give to charity. It is something that is bestowed willingly without compensation.

Examples

  • He gave her a diamond ring as an anniversary gift.
  • the gift of healing people
  • Picasso had the gift of painting

What is Present?

A present refers to only practical and tangible things that are bestowed formally. It is something that you want the recipient to have. The term ‘present’ is originated from an old French phrase which translates to English as ‘put a thing into the presence of a person.’ So every definition associated with the word present can be traced back to this original definition of bringing something to a person. The present is more casual sounding than a gift. Presents have greater potential for inspiring new thoughts and broadening the horizons. The present does not describe other nouns. We have gift cards, gift boxes, and gift wrap, not present cards, present boxes, and present wrap. However, the noun present does not refer to a natural talent or ability. The verb present means to give or award ceremonially or formally.

Examples

  • The minister will present the prizes.
  • He has presented a trophy for his first position.

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