forgive

verb for·give \ fər-ˈgiv , fȯr- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of forgive

forgave play \fər-ˈgāv, fȯr-\; forgiven play \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 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

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forgivable

play \fər-ˈgi-və-bəl, fȯr-\ adjective

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forgivably

play \fər-ˈgi-və-blē, fȯr-\ adverb

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forgiver

noun

See forgive defined for English-language learners

See forgive defined for kids

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 of forgive from the Web

So celebrated Chicago author Stuart Dybek could be forgiven for being unclear about the book and its provenance.

— debra filcman, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Books Sean Penn and Stuart Dybek talk about Penn's new novel, which neither of them quite understands," 10 Apr. 2018
From a distance, you would be forgiven for thinking that Far Cry 5, a game that advertised itself with charged imagery of patriotism and white supremacy run amok, would have something to say.

— julie muncy, WIRED, "All Games Are Illusions, But Far Cry 5 Is Nothing More," 9 Apr. 2018
After a marketing campaign that leans on evangelical and militia imagery, players could be forgiven for expecting some smart political statements (or at least biting satire) from the game.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Far Cry 5 review: Five steps back," 27 Mar. 2018
Should he be ruled out for the remainder of the season, Boston could be forgiven for thinking this year might not be their year.

— dan cancian, Newsweek, "How Long Will Kyrie Irving Be Out With Latest Knee Injury?," 21 Mar. 2018
Truex was so strong Sunday that the competition could be forgiven for wondering if the guy who stormed through the schedule last year with eight victories might be fully back.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "Martin Truex Jr.'s Fontana domination recalls 2017 championship form," 18 Mar. 2018
Victoria Peak is lovely and all—and there’s never a bad time to grab some dim sum—but you’d be forgiven for delaying both to spend more time at Hong Kong International Airport come March 22.

— katherine lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Crazy New Lounge Is About to Open at Hong Kong Airport," 6 Mar. 2018
Still, fans of Orlando City can be forgiven for getting excited about the college assist king.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Five things we learned during Orlando City preseason," 3 Mar. 2018
But even so, investors would be forgiven for checking their seat belts.

— The Economist, "More market volatility seems likely," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forgive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of forgive

Middle English, from Old English forgifan, from for- + gifan to give

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

forgive Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

FORGIVE Defined for English Language Learners

forgive

verb

Definition of forgive for English Language Learners

: to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone)
: to stop feeling anger about (something) : to forgive someone for (something wrong)
: to stop requiring payment of (money that is owed)