forfeit

1 of 3

noun

for·​feit ˈfȯr-fət How to pronounce forfeit (audio)
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
3
a
: 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

2 of 3

verb

forfeited; forfeiting; forfeits

transitive verb

1
: to lose or lose the right to especially by some error, offense, or crime
2
: to subject to confiscation as a forfeit
also : abandon, give up
forfeitable adjective
forfeiter noun

forfeit

3 of 3

adjective

: forfeited or subject to forfeiture

Examples of forfeit in a Sentence

Noun the forfeit for each baseball player involved in the brawl was $5,000 Verb 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
The forfeit was found to be an act of protest against the IOC’s recognition of the State of Israel, and a deliberate refusal to compete with Vaks. Armani Syed, TIME, 31 July 2024 Manager Don Baylor falsely claimed a forfeit was a possibility. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2024
Verb
Michelle Smith McDonald, San Jose State’s senior director of media relations, confirmed in a statement Saturday that Boise State had forfeited, defended the university’s volleyball program and noted officials were not commenting on the gender of any students given federal privacy protections. Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2024 Even then, the ephemeral nature of Olympic visibility wasn’t always lucrative enough to entice some gymnasts to forfeit their NCAA eligibility. Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Although his birthplace is as yet unknown, Posey became Washington’s property — the bond on a forfeit loan — around the age of 20. Ramin Ganeshram, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 Franklin got pins from Tucker Rudo (113 pounds), Xavier Gardner (120), Julian Epps (125), Max Conley (132) and Josh Gray (138) after Dylan Hurd (106) opened the scoring with a forfeit win. Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for forfeit 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forfeit.' 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

Noun, Verb, and Adjective

Middle English forfait, from Anglo-French, from past participle of forfaire, forsfaire to commit a crime, forfeit, from fors outside (from Latin foris) + faire to do, from Latin facere — more at forum, do

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forfeit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near forfeit

Cite this Entry

“Forfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forfeit. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

forfeit

1 of 2 noun
for·​feit ˈfȯr-fət How to pronounce forfeit (audio)
: something forfeited : penalty, fine

forfeit

2 of 2 verb
: to lose or lose the right to as a punishment for an error, offense, or crime
forfeiter noun

Legal Definition

forfeit

1 of 3 noun
for·​feit ˈfȯr-fət How to pronounce forfeit (audio)
: something forfeited or subject to being forfeited

forfeit

2 of 3 transitive verb
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 activityU.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 sameMorgan v. United States, 107 F. Supp. 501 (1952)
forfeitability
ˌfȯr-fə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē
noun
forfeitable adjective

forfeit

3 of 3 adjective
: forfeited or subject to forfeiture
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French, from Middle French forfait, past participle of forfaire to commit a crime, from fors outside + faire to do

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