forgive

verb

for·​give fər-ˈgiv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
forgave fər-ˈgāv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
; forgiven fər-ˈgi-vən How to pronounce forgive (audio)
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 sense 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
forgivable adjective
forgivably adverb
forgiver noun
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web The Assembly reported that Hill increased her salary by an amount that mirrored the PPP loan in 2021 and that the loans had been forgiven. James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Santino doesn’t hold back in playing TJ as a jerk, but Efron and Fowler hedge their performances, since Farrelly is counting on them to be easily forgiven once the whole scam comes to light. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The museum also had a little fun on social media confirming that Novak had been forgiven. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Most of the investors were appreciative of the effort and forgiving of my failure. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 And the viewer coming to her work for the first time will be forgiven for feeling thrown a little off balance. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The recent announcement that some $1.2 billion in college loans were being forgiven was a breath of fresh air for those who qualified. John F. Wasik, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 But the way to move forward is to admit your faults and frailties, and to seek to be forgiven. Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 You’d be forgiven for thinking the American market for EVs is collapsing. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forgive.' 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 forgifan, from for- + gifan to give

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

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

Dictionary Entries Near forgive

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

forgive

verb
for·​give fər-ˈgiv How to pronounce forgive (audio)
fȯr-
forgave -ˈgāv How to pronounce forgive (audio) ; forgiven -ˈgiv-ən How to pronounce forgive (audio) ; forgiving
1
a
: to give up resentment of or claim to revenge for
forgive an insult
b
: to stop requiring payment of
forgive a debt
2
: to stop feeling anger toward (an offender)
forgive your enemies
forgivable adjective
forgiver noun

More from Merriam-Webster on forgive

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