forfeit

American  

[fawr-fit] / ˈfɔr fɪt /

noun

• forfeits
  plural

1. a fine; penalty.

2. an act of forfeiting; forfeiture.

3. something to which the right is lost, as for commission of a crime or misdeed, neglect of duty, or violation of a contract.

4. an article deposited in a game because of a mistake and redeemable by a fine or penalty.

5. (used with a singular verb) forfeits, a game in which such articles are taken from the players.

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verb (used with object)

• forfeits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forfeited,
  past participle,  past
• forfeiting
  present participle

1. to subject to seizure as a forfeit.

2. to lose or become liable to lose, as in consequence of crime, fault, or breach of engagement.

   Synonyms:

   waive, forgo, relinquish, yield, surrender, mulct

adjective

1. lost or subject to loss by forfeiture.

forfeit British  

/ ˈfɔːfɪt /

noun

1. something lost or given up as a penalty for a fault, mistake, etc

2. the act of losing or surrendering something in this manner

3. law something confiscated as a penalty for an offence, breach of contract, etc

4. (sometimes plural)

   1. a game in which a player has to give up an object, perform a specified action, etc, if he commits a fault

   2. an object so given up

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verb

1. (tr) to lose or be liable to lose in consequence of a mistake, fault, etc

2. (tr) law

   1. to confiscate as punishment

   2. to surrender (something exacted as a penalty)

adjective

1. surrendered or liable to be surrendered as a penalty

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forfeiter
  noun
• reforfeit
  verb (used with object)
• forfeitable
  adjective
• nonforfeitable
  adjective
• nonforfeiting
  adjective
• unforfeitable
  adjective
• unforfeiting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forfeits
  plural

Participles

• forfeiting
  present
• forfeited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• forfeit
  simple
• forfeits
  simple
• have forfeited
  perfect
• has forfeited
  perfect
• am forfeiting
  progressive
• are forfeiting
  progressive
• is forfeiting
  progressive
• have been forfeiting
  perfect progressive
• has been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• forfeited
  simple
• had forfeited
  perfect
• was forfeiting
  progressive
• were forfeiting
  progressive
• had been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will forfeit
  simple
• will have forfeited
  perfect
• will be forfeiting
  progressive
• will have been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of forfeit

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English forfet, from Old French (past participle of forfaire “to commit crime, to lose possession or right through a criminal act”), from Medieval Latin forīs factum “penalty,” past participle of forīs facere “to transgress,” equivalent to Latin forīs “outside, wrongly” + facere “to make, do”

Explanation

Forfeit means to lose or give up something, usually as a penalty. If you don’t finish your homework and eat all your broccoli, you'll most likely forfeit your right to watch TV before going to bed. An adjective, noun, and verb all rolled into one, forfeit came into existence around 1300 meaning “to lose by misconduct.” To forfeit is to lose or give up something as punishment for making an error. A forfeit is what is lost. You've probably heard of forfeiting a game or match — like when you don't show up with enough players or pick one too many fights with the opposing team.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forfeit forfeits forfeited forfeiting

Mostly they knowingly forfeit the cash to have their 15 minutes in the limelight, sending up the pageantry of British politics.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

The 31-year-old was well enough to stand but had to forfeit the match, which had lasted more than three hours.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

In addition to prison time, Rinsch must serve three years of supervised release, forfeit the $11 million and pay $700 in mandatory special assessments, according to Monday’s announcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Bolton, who faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, must also pay a $2.25 million fine and forfeit his federal pension as part of a plea agreement, the Department of Justice said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Catelyn held her brother,- she dare not kill him or the Imp's life would be forfeit as well.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

If Warsh goes quiet while his colleagues continue to give economic-outlook speeches, a kind of unilateral disarmament could take hold where the chair forfeits the bully pulpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

But a court that tolerates such defiance eventually forfeits the right to demand obedience.

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026

Alford responded with a Bible verse from the Gospel of Matthew: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” according to texts viewed by The Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

Hawkins coach Ronald Coltress is the one who had the put the program back together after it went 0-13 in 2016 because of forfeits and firings of coaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025

As it developed, the flu forfeits didn’t affect Bobby’s pairings or score.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The game’s brightest young superstar forfeited future earnings to keep his team intact.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

It was later confirmed that Menzies was cleared by medics backstage but was unable to return to the stage to continue, and so forfeited the match.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

In dissent, Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, said the Mississippi state courts had concluded that Pitchford’s trial team had forfeited a portion of their argument about racially discriminatory jury selection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Although I forfeited my membership in the Partnered People club, I became a member of another, equally nonexclusive-but-far-less-touted club, the Happily Divorced Women.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Indeed, rather like Michael Jackson in our own time, Mozart’s childhood had been forfeited to make way for a career as a freakishly talented boy prodigy to be touted around an adult world.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

That said, I will state the obvious: You will likely be forfeiting a decent amount of income.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

But any pick used in the supplemental draft requires forfeiting a pick from the same round of next year’s normal draft, and it’s a decision teams don’t usually have to weigh.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Armstrong adds that investors should get a discount for forfeiting control: "I want to pay less for a company where my ownership does not include control."

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Then, the Dodgers would have had to reconfigure their defense, likely moving first baseman Freddie Freeman to third, catcher Dalton Rushing to first base and Smith behind the plate, forfeiting the designated hitter spot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

If I don’t, I might end up forfeiting the bounty to some other hunter who can stay in the Championships.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• abandon
• lose
• relinquish
• renounce
• surrender