gift economy
noun
plural gift economies
: a system in which goods and services are given freely between people rather than sold or bartered
The gift economy—a system whereby goods are not sold but given away—has been around for as long as we've had things.—
Patricia Marx
compare market economy
Patricia MarxExamples of gift economy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Odell and Kimmerer discuss what a gift economy looks like: humans embracing responsibility, learning from healthy and biodiverse ecosystems, and cultivating mutually beneficial relationships that coevolve over time (versus relationships that extract and destroy).
—Longreads, 22 Nov. 2024
In short chapters punctuated by line drawings from illustrator John Burgoyne, this sweet offering builds on her ideas about the gift economy and how Indigenous wisdom might inform it.
—Meera Subramanian, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
The nature of seed sharing is based on a gift economy.
—Tamara Yakaboski, The Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Hyde begins with a lengthy discussion of gift economies, like those found on the South Sea islands or among Indigenous Americans.
—Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 20 Feb. 2024
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Longreads, 22 Nov. 2024
In short chapters punctuated by line drawings from illustrator John Burgoyne, this sweet offering builds on her ideas about the gift economy and how Indigenous wisdom might inform it.
—Meera Subramanian, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
The nature of seed sharing is based on a gift economy.
—Tamara Yakaboski, The Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Hyde begins with a lengthy discussion of gift economies, like those found on the South Sea islands or among Indigenous Americans.
—Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 20 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Gift economy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gift%20economy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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