forgo

verb

for·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

variants or less commonly forego

forwent fȯr-ˈwent  ; forgone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

; forgoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

; forgoes

fȯr-ˈgōz

transitive verb

1

: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without

… never forwent an opportunity of honest profit …

—Robert Louis Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days …

2

archaic : forsake

forgoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

Synonyms of forgo

• avoid

Examples of forgo in a Sentence

She is planning to forgo her right to a trial and simply plead guilty.

I'll forgo dessert tonight—I'm trying to lose weight.

Recent Examples on the Web

This concept is fundamental to insurance, and is a major factor as today’s rising health care costs elicit rising premiums, which in turn force healthy people to forgo insurance, which in turn further raises rates as absorbing the risk is shared by fewer, less healthy customers. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025

Yes, that means forgoing the predictable chandelier or light pendant for subtler fixtures. —Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025

Gmail users can decline the update to prevent additional data collection, though doing so will mean forgoing the new AI tools and potentially making inbox searches less efficient or intuitive. —Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

The film, by contrast, moves cleanly from start to finish, forgoing any impulse toward Malickian nonlinearity. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English forgān to pass by, forgo, from for- + gān to go

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forgo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

forgo

verb

for·​go

variants also forego

fȯr-ˈgō, 

fōr-

forwent

-ˈwent

; forgone -ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

; forgoing -ˈgō-iŋ 

: to let pass

forgo an opportunity

: go without

forgo lunch