forget

verb

for·​get fər-ˈget How to pronounce forget (audio)
fȯr-
forgot fər-ˈgät How to pronounce forget (audio)
fȯr-
; forgotten fər-ˈgä-tᵊn How to pronounce forget (audio)
fȯr-
or forgot; forgetting

transitive verb

1
a
: to lose the remembrance of : be unable to think of or recall
I forget his name
b
obsolete : to cease from doing
2
: to treat with inattention or disregard
forgot their old friends
He's now a forgotten hero.
3
a
: to disregard intentionally : overlook
usually used in the imperative
I shouldn't have said that, so just forget it
b
: to give up hope for or expectation of
usually used in the imperative
as for prompt service, forget it

intransitive verb

1
: to cease remembering or noticing
forgive and forget
2
: to fail to become mindful at the proper time
forgot about paying the bill
forgetter noun
Phrases
forget oneself
: to lose one's dignity, temper, or self-control
She forgot herself because of the liquor she had drunk.
So infuriated him that he forgot himself and had a tantrum.
Choose the Right Synonym for forget

neglect, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, forget mean to pass over without giving due attention.

neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

habitually neglected his studies

disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

disregarded the wishes of his family

ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

ignored the snide remark

overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care.

in my rush I overlooked a key example

slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting.

slighted several major authors in her survey

forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

forget what others say

Examples of forget in a Sentence

I keep forgetting her name. The pain and misery are impossible to forget. She forgot how to set up the tent. I'll never forget the first time we met. Don't forget that you have to turn off the light when you leave. “Did you pay the bill?” “I forgot.” He's now a forgotten hero. He's a forgotten man in the world of politics. If you're hoping to hear from him soon, forget it, it's not going to happen. Forget about finding a way to escape—there's no way out of here.
Recent Examples on the Web Turchin believes that violent outbreaks occur every 50 years, allowing enough time to pass for elites to forget about the consequences of rising greed and instability. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 He was cursed to forget his powers as punishment by the gods, but remembers them one day with the king of bears’ assistance. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Sometimes the best way to forget one pain is to focus on another. Zaina Arafat, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Oh, and don’t forget about supermodel Gigi Hadid’s major chop over the weekend. Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Don’t forget that the Chargers released Sebastian Joseph-Day late last season. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The accuracy of the standard model decreased to 53.3 on average, but the forgetting model dropped only to 62.7. Amos Zeeberg, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024 Azusa Pacific’s uneven regular season performance — the Cougars lost seven straight at one point early and three straight during conference play — was all but forgotten as coach Peter Bond and seniors George Reidy and Ken West celebrated with the conference championship trophy after the game. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 But the average viewer probably felt a bit like Arya (Maisie Williams) and Sansa up on the walls of Winterfell: looking ahead to the future, happy to forget the past. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024

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

Middle English, from Old English forgietan, from for- + -gietan (akin to Old Norse geta to get)

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of forget was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near forget

Cite this Entry

“Forget.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forget. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

forget

verb
for·​get fər-ˈget How to pronounce forget (audio)
fȯr-
forgot -ˈgät How to pronounce forget (audio) ; forgotten -ˈgät-ᵊn How to pronounce forget (audio) or forgot; forgetting
1
: to be unable to think of or recall
forgot the address
2
a
: to fail to remember to do something
forgot to call you
forgot about practicing
b
: neglect entry 1 sense 1
forget old friends
3
: overlook sense 3b
I shouldn't have said that, so just forget it
4
: to stop remembering or noticing
forgive and forget
forgetter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on forget

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