forgive

verb

for·​give fər-ˈgiv 

fȯr-

forgave fər-ˈgāv 

fȯr-

; forgiven fər-ˈgi-vən 

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

fər-ˈgi-və-bəl 

fȯr-

adjective

forgivably

fər-ˈgi-və-blē 

fȯr-

adverb

forgiver noun

Synonyms

• pardon
• ignore

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

It was mismanaged for years until recently, when former President Joe Biden reformed it, ultimately forgiving billions of dollars in debt for more than 1 million Americans. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

In it, Jesus says God will only forgive those who forgive others. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025

Despite everything, Bruck’s mother, Leannda Bruck, chose to forgive Clay. —Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

But talking with Schrader at a coffee shop in the ANA InterContinental Hotel, the long-ago controversy, which kept the film from being released in Japan for four decades, seemed if not forgotten, forgiven. —Mark Schilling, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing forgive

• forgive me

Rhymes for forgive

• ogive
• outlive
• relive
• corroborative
• determinative
• germinative
• transformative
• give
• sieve
• resistive

Kids Definition

forgive

verb

for·​give fər-ˈgiv 

fȯr-

forgave -ˈgāv  ; forgiven -ˈgiv-ən  ; 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

-ˈgiv-ə-bəl 

adjective

forgiver noun