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

Styled by Dani Michelle, Jenner paired the look with patent Chanel cap toe slingbacks and a black, strappy Chanel bag—forgoing the matching tiger bag from the runway. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026

But as fans chant her name, forgoing halftime trips to concession stands and restrooms to watch her perform, Niu is filled with both gratitude and motivation. —Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026

Scott chose to forgo an attorney and represented himself. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026

The FuelCell Rebel v5 ($145, style code MFCX9HM) is an outlier in more ways than one, as the only performance sneaker of the pack uses a Pearl Gray/Dusk Shower/Blue Bird combination and forgoes the gum rubber seen on the other models. —Riley Jones, Footwear News, 28 Jan. 2026

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