as in penalty
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment
the forfeit for each baseball player involved in the brawl was $5,000
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
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as in to lose
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forfeit
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Tax-paying clubs who sign a player from another team who has rejected a qualifying offer forfeit $1 million in international bonus pool money as well as two draft picks, whereas non-payers only forfeit one draft pick and in some cases $500,000 in bonus pool funds.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Lose an ounce, and their lives are forfeit.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forfeit
Noun
In 2021, Nolan forfeit three games due to use of ineligible players and, in 2023, the program failed to win a game.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Tax-paying clubs who sign a player from another team who has rejected a qualifying offer forfeit $1 million in international bonus pool money as well as two draft picks, whereas non-payers only forfeit one draft pick and in some cases $500,000 in bonus pool funds.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Patriots also had to forfeit their first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Lose an ounce, and their lives are forfeit.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forfeit
Noun
-
The Lightning won the game in a penalty shootout thanks to goals from Kucherov, Gage Goncalves and Jake Guentzel.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
His detractors, however, criticize the mayor for focusing on short-term housing for the homeless at the expense of long-term solutions, threatening to arrest homeless people, and supporting Proposition 36, which Newsom opposed, that toughened penalties against repeat drug and theft offenses.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The case was decided by a judge rather than a jury after Duran waived his right to a jury trial.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Defendants found guilty of capital murder in cases in which the state has waived the death penalty and in which the defendant was older than 18 at the time of the crime are automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 6,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Republican primary field also includes Brown, Michele Morrow, who won a surprise 2024 primary before narrowly losing statewide, along with Margot Dupre, Richard Dansie, Elizabeth Temple, and Thomas Johnson.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
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The decline in future spending commitments is projected to lead to 670,000 and 1,600,000 lives lost annually.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There's no deadline for the bloc to resolve the case, which could end in either X pledging to change its behavior or a hefty fine.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
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In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The civil action, which is seeking more than $15,000 in damages, remains pending in Hartford Superior Court.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
4 Feb. 2026
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Instead, Congress had to pass a law to allow for state and local government officials, such as police officers, to be sued in federal court for money damages.—
Brian Kolp,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In a complaint filed in June 2024, the group accused him of improperly retaining copies of the album after the criminal court ordered its full forfeiture.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2026
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These vehicles, and potentially additional vehicles sold through this dealership, present a significant risk to innocent purchasers, who may unknowingly buy vehicles subject to seizure and forfeiture, resulting in both the loss of the vehicle and associated funds due to their status as contraband.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forfeit. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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