forfeit
noun
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Definition of forfeit
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : something forfeited or subject to being forfeited (as for a crime, offense, or neglect of duty) : penalty They were required to pay a forfeit.
2 : forfeiture especially of civil rights
3a : something deposited (as for making a mistake in a game) and then redeemed on payment of a fine
b forfeits plural : a game in which forfeits are exacted
forfeit
verbDefinition of forfeit (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : to lose or lose the right to especially by some error, offense, or crime
forfeit
adjectiveDefinition of forfeit (Entry 3 of 3)
: forfeited or subject to forfeiture
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Other words from forfeit
Verb
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adjective
Synonyms for forfeit
Synonyms: Noun
damages, fine, forfeiture, mulct, penalty
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Examples of forfeit in a Sentence
Noun
the forfeit for each baseball player involved in the brawl was $5,000Verb
He forfeited his right to a trial by jury. They didn't have enough players, so they ended up having to forfeit.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
More: Scecina avoids forfeit, but pitcher ruled ineligible after pitch-count violation That '92 season ended at semistate, one game shy of the state championship game. — Joseph Spears, Indianapolis Star, "HS baseball: Scecina's first semistate trip in 26 years hasn't been easy — or without drama," 6 June 2018 One forfeit, March 6 at Taravella, was a 4-2 loss anyway. — David Furones, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Nationally ranked Calvary Christian baseball team forfeits 12 games," 11 Apr. 2018 Some felt the rules violation would result in a Scecina forfeit, but the team was spared. — Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Star, "HS baseball: After pitch-count violation, Scecina's coach sidelines himself in semistate loss," 9 June 2018 Temple College is in the World Series for the third time, and would not even be here if not for a double forfeit in the regional title game. — Richard Rosenblatt, New York Times, "A Baseball Binge With Small-Town Charm," 1 June 2018 Recurrent clues appear—a knife; a game of forfeits; a hat seen bobbing along on the far side of a wall. — Dan Hofstadter, WSJ, "Longing, Violence and Social Rank," 25 May 2018 However, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association does not generally reflect forfeits on coaches' records. — Dinah L. Rogers Photography, NOLA.com, "Prom 2018: Brother Martin soars on the dance floor," 4 May 2018 At the halfway point of the tournament, here are some things that stuck out to me: Forfeits By my count, there were 108 forfeits across the 12 regions on Friday. — Brant Parsons, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Regions: Shockers, forfeits and big time wins," 24 Feb. 2018 The Eagles, whose record officially is 12-15 but would be 23-4 without forfeits, have secured a spot in regionals. — David Furones, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Moving past prior forfeits, Calvary Christian tops Chaminade, secures spot in regionals," 2 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
By taking Beal, the Giants will forfeit their third-round selection in the 2019 NFL draft. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "Giants select Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal in third round of NFL supplemental draft," 11 July 2018 Weinstein previously forfeited his passport and is fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. — Michael R. Sisak, BostonGlobe.com, "Weinstein lawyer says e-mails, witnesses show he’s innocent," 9 July 2018 Entire family farms are sometimes forfeited based on one family member’s conduct, or exorbitant amounts of money are seized. — Adam Liptak, New York Times, "He Sold Drugs for $225. Indiana Took His $42,000 Land Rover.," 25 June 2018 Since no one on the team would admit using the slur, Lindenmuth decided that the team would forfeit its final two games. — Jan Hefler, Philly.com, "After racial slur by Haddonfield lacrosse player, diversity and sensitivity training at Haddonfield Memorial High," 25 May 2018 On Monday, Justice Gerald Lebovitz ruled that under a 2004 kiss-off agreement with Lutz, Madge forfeited her right to claw back her private items. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Madonna loses bid to keep silk panties, Tupac's break-up letter from being auctioned off," 24 Apr. 2018 The Modoc Tribe, where Tucker established a payday lender called Red Cedar Services, agreed to forfeit $2 million to the federal government. — Steve Vockrodt, kansascity, "American Indian tribes used by convicted payday lender Scott Tucker settle with feds," 26 June 2018 Fata agreed to forfeit $17.6 million and a number of assets in the case. — Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Cancer doctor: I was duped into guilty plea, toss my conviction," 22 May 2018 In July, the federal government brought a civil complaint against Hobby Lobby, which agreed to forfeit the items. — Emily Cochrane, New York Times, "Iraqi Artifacts Once Bought by Hobby Lobby Will Return Home," 2 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
That cut Lansdowne’s 6-0 lead, that came on a forfeit win at 120, in half. — Craig Clary, baltimoresun.com, "Unbeaten Lansdowne wrestling squad wins final two matches and defeats Franklin," 25 Jan. 2018 Bretli Reyna scored the first pin of the night for South Dade at 120 pounds with Tyler Orta (126) and Joshua Swan (138) winning matches sandwiching a forfeit win for Fleming Island’s Jaquan English. — Brant Parsons, OrlandoSentinel.com, "South Dade takes home inaugural state duals title in 3A," 21 Jan. 2018 The forfeit win will boost Cedar Creek’s playoff chances. — Phil Anastasia, Philly.com, "Breaking: Delsea football forfeits win over Cedar Creek," 21 Sep. 2017 Catonsville’s other victories were a forfeit win by Chase Ritter (113) and a 3-2 decision by sophomore Ewan Hemmis (120) over Desean Hunter. — Craig Clary, baltimoresun.com, "Lansdowne wrestling pins down Southwestern Battle for second straight year," 12 Dec. 2017 Notable: East River made a major leap this week from ninth to sixth after picking up a forfeit win over Timber Creek and beating St. Cloud, which added three points to its playoff average. — J.c. Carnahan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Final football playoff projections pave way for Sunday announcement show," 1 Nov. 2017 Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a game that Ole Miss won on the field 13-7 in 1914. — Mark Inabinett, AL.com, "Arkansas at Ole Miss by the numbers: Rebels get new QB again," 28 Oct. 2017 Every win last season was taken away and became a forfeit loss because the team used ineligible players. — Eric Sondheimer, latimes.com, "Los Angeles might be winless, but Jeffrey Martinez still plays for love of the game," 8 Oct. 2017 Cedar Creek is 2-1 on the field, getting a forfeit win over No. — Phil Anastasia, Philly.com, "South Jersey football: Games to watch this weekend," 26 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forfeit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for forfeit
forfeit
noun
English Language Learners Definition of forfeit
(Entry 1 of 3)
: something that is lost or given up as punishment or because of a rule or law
forfeit
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of forfeit (Entry 2 of 3)
: to lose or give up (something) as a punishment or because of a rule or law
forfeit
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of forfeit (Entry 3 of 3)
: given up or taken away as a punishment or because of a rule or law
See the full definition for forfeit in the English Language Learners Dictionary
forfeit
verb
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Kids Definition of forfeit
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to lose or lose the right to as punishment for a fault, error, or crime “If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!” said Harry. —J. K. Rowling, Chamber of Secrets
forfeit
nounKids Definition of forfeit (Entry 2 of 2)
: something or the right to something lost as punishment for a fault, error, or crime
forfeit
noun
\
Legal Definition of forfeit
(Entry 1 of 3)
: something forfeited or subject to being forfeited
forfeit
transitive verbLegal Definition of forfeit (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : to lose or lose the right to by some default, failure, or neglect of obligation or duty or by some offense shall forfeit to the United States…any proceeds which the person obtained, directly or indirectly, from racketeering activity —U.S. Code
2 : to subject to forfeiture it shall be placed in the custody of the Collector, who…shall cause a notice of the seizure and intention to forfeit and sell the same —Morgan v. United States, 107 F. Supp. 501 (1952)
forfeit
adjectiveLegal Definition of forfeit (Entry 3 of 3)
: forfeited or subject to forfeiture
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