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What is the difference between gift and present?

hippietrail
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metal-gear-solid
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5 Answers5

17

One difference is that we use birthday gift or birthday present but we only use free gift and not free present.

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    Maybe it has to do with the origin of the word. While a gift is simply given, a present is presented. –  Jan 05 '11 at 08:52
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    -1 This claim that "present* is more special than gift"* is complete nonsense. I'm not convinced it's meaningful to "rank" these words, but the gift of life is probably more "special" than any present you'll ever receive. – FumbleFingers Aug 19 '12 at 00:35
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    Before it was edited, the answer had the following description: They are both free, but present is more special than gift and suggests a nontrivial relationship between the giver and the receiver. Which I kind of liked, especially the reference to "non-trivial relationship", because it's true. Shops, beauticians, perfumeries give away free samples, which are often called "gifts". – Mari-Lou A Jan 28 '16 at 12:12
  • In my understanding they are distinct. A gift is something someone wants you to have, but a present has the additional property that the giver has some idea that it is wanted by the receiver. – Joshua Olson Nov 13 '18 at 23:29
  • @JoshuaOlson Why would someone give you something that he/she doesn't think that you want? – Alan Evangelista Sep 20 '20 at 21:37
  • Not that they wouldn’t want it, just they haven’t expressed a desire for it. Like giving them a book that from an author they don’t know but you think they’d like. – Joshua Olson Sep 22 '20 at 04:37
10

In many contexts, there is not much difference. I'd say "present" is mostly used in a practical context, when you hand someone a present on his birthday; "gift" is rather used in an abstract or formal context, as in the gift of telepathy [by supernatural powers], or a gift of land to the church. But this distinction is not at all strict; in many practical situations, they are used interchangeably. I think "present" is the more limited word. When it is used in a formal context, it is often with mild irony: "the Duchy of Burgundy was a handsome present for Maximilian to receive from a potential bride, so the Habsburgs did not need much time to decide on the target of their bribes".

Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
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A radio show titled "Says You!" had a piece on "what's the difference?" The answer to gift vs present was that one gives a present in person, but sends a gift. The show itself seems well researched, with the occasional listener letter sent in and read as a correction.

JTP - Apologise to Monica
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-2

I once heard that a present was something the giver chose because it was something he/she wanted the person they were presenting it to to have; while a gift was something that was given because it was something that the giftee has expressed a desire to have.

acf730
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  • And how does this distinction fit with the usage of, say, "the gift of healing" or any other similar expression? – Paola Apr 28 '12 at 00:03
  • This answer doesn't account for the definition of present used in the question. – Zairja Nov 02 '12 at 19:11
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They are both free, but present is more official than gift.

RegDwigнt
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Ogboma Dini
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  • Really? I would tend to say the opposite, and even that wouldn't be a foolproof or complete delineation between the two. – Daniel Jan 25 '12 at 18:19