forgo

verb

for·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

variants or less commonly forego

forwent fȯr-ˈwent  ; forgone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; forgoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

transitive verb

1

: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without

never forwent an opportunity of honest profit

—R. L. Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days

2

archaic : forsake

forgoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• avoid

Examples of forgo in a Sentence

She is planning to forgo her right to a trial and simply plead guilty.

I'll forgo dessert tonight—I'm trying to lose weight.

Recent Examples on the Web

With 43 seconds on the clock and a timeout in his back pocket, Albin chose the conservative route, handing the ball off twice and forgoing a Hail Mary to send the game to the half knotted up. —Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025

After forgoing a distribution deal with Mubi, the team behind No Other Land has decided to release its Oscar-winning documentary independently. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

That would mean forgoing the current maps drawn by a 14-member group comprising five Republicans, five Democrats, and four commissioners not affiliated with the two major parties. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025

Campaign Evolved is the first game developed under Halo Studios, formerly known as 343 Industries, and the first to forgo its proprietary game engine in favor of the more streamlined, standard Unreal Engine 5. —Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English forgān to pass by, forgo, from for- + gān to go

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forgo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

forgo

verb

for·​go

variants also forego

fȯr-ˈgō,

fōr-

forwent

-ˈwent

; forgone -ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; forgoing -ˈgō-iŋ 

: to let pass

forgo an opportunity

: go without

forgo lunch