forgive

verb

for·​give fər-ˈgiv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
forgave fər-ˈgāv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
; forgiven fər-ˈgi-vən How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
; forgiving

transitive verb

1
: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon
forgive one's enemies
2
a
: to give up resentment of or claim to requital (see requital sense 1) for
forgive an insult
b
: to grant relief from payment of
forgive a debt

intransitive verb

: to grant forgiveness
had to learn to forgive and forget
forgivable adjective
forgivably adverb
forgiver noun
Choose the Right Synonym for forgive

excuse, condone, pardon, forgive mean to exact neither punishment nor redress.

excuse may refer to specific acts especially in social or conventional situations or the person responsible for these.

excuse an interruption
excused them for interrupting

Often the term implies extenuating circumstances.

injustice excuses strong responses

condone implies that one overlooks without censure behavior (such as dishonesty or violence) that involves a serious breach of a moral, ethical, or legal code, and the term may refer to the behavior or to the agent responsible for it.

a society that condones alcohol but not narcotics

pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense.

pardon a criminal

forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings.

could not forgive their rudeness

Examples of forgive in a Sentence

Can you ever forgive me for being so selfish? I've never forgiven myself for the way I treated her. We must ask God to forgive us for our sins. When he feels he's been insulted, he finds it hard to forgive and forget. He finds it hard to forgive an insult. We must ask God to forgive our sins. The government has agreed to forgive some of the debt.
Recent Examples on the Web Casual observers could be forgiven for thinking that the massive attack on Israel that the Iranian regime unleashed on April 13 changed nothing. Noah Rothman, National Review, 22 Apr. 2024 These loans are then forgiven for students who enter primary care, pediatrics, or psychiatry, or who work in underserved urban or rural communities. Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Matthew Guido, STAT, 22 Apr. 2024 On April 8, Mr. Biden traveled to Madison, Wis., to announce the development of new regulations that would forgive some federal student loan debt for as many as 30 million Americans. Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024 After all, if Marie Kondo couldn’t even live up to her own shipshape expectations, then surely the rest of us could be forgiven for our messiness? Kimberley Dadds, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024 The White House then issued a series of tweets targeting GOP critics of student debt relief whose PPP loans had been forgiven. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024 In Arizona, around 7,000 people will have their loans decreased or forgiven, totaling up to more than $180 million in relief. The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024 With the latest round of discharges, the Biden administration has forgiven $62.8 billion in loans for 876,000 borrowers through PSLF. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024 Biden’s recent debt relief efforts come after Missouri played a central role in the Supreme Court’s decision to block the Biden administration’s previous attempt to forgive up to $30,000 in student loan debt for some Americans. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forgive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English forgifan, from for- + gifan to give

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of forgive was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near forgive

Cite this Entry

“Forgive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

forgive

verb
for·​give fər-ˈgiv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
forgave -ˈgāv How to pronounce forgive (audio) ; forgiven -ˈgiv-ən How to pronounce forgive (audio) ; forgiving
1
a
: to give up resentment of or claim to revenge for
forgive an insult
b
: to stop requiring payment of
forgive a debt
2
: to stop feeling anger toward (an offender)
forgive your enemies
forgivable adjective
forgiver noun

More from Merriam-Webster on forgive

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