forget

American  

[fer-get] / fərˈgɛt /

verb (used with object)

• forgets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forgot,
  past
• forgat,
  past (Archaic)
• forgotten,
  past participle
• forgetting
  present participle

1. to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall.

   to forget someone's name.

2. to omit or neglect unintentionally.

   I forgot to shut the window before leaving.

3. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take.

   to forget one's keys.

4. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

5. to fail to think of; take no note of.

6. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.

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verb (used without object)

• forgets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forgot,
  past
• forgat,
  past (Archaic)
• forgotten,
  past participle
• forgetting
  present participle

1. to cease or omit to think of something.

idioms

1. forget oneself, to say or do something improper or unbefitting one's rank, position, or character.

forget British  

/ fəˈɡɛt /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember

2. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error

3. (tr) to leave behind by mistake

4. (tr) to disregard intentionally

5. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention

6. 1. to act in an improper manner

   2. to be unselfish

   3. to be deep in thought

7. an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic

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forget More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing forget

• forgive and forget

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Usage

Both forgot and forgotten are used as the past participle of forget : Many have already forgot (or forgotten ) the hard times of the Depression. Only forgotten is used attributively: half-forgotten memories.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forgetter
  noun
• forgettable
  adjective
• unforgetting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• forgetting
  present
• forgotten
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• forget
  simple
• forgets
  simple
• have forgotten
  perfect
• has forgotten
  perfect
• am forgetting
  progressive
• are forgetting
  progressive
• is forgetting
  progressive
• have been forgetting
  perfect progressive
• has been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Past

• forgat
  simple
• forgot
  simple
• had forgotten
  perfect
• was forgetting
  progressive
• were forgetting
  progressive
• had been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will forget
  simple
• will have forgotten
  perfect
• will be forgetting
  progressive
• will have been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of forget

First recorded before 900; for- + get; replacing Middle English foryeten, Old English forg(i)etan; cognate with Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan

Explanation

When you forget something, you can't recall or remember it. An actor who forgets his lines might need some helpful cues from the other actors on stage. You might forget on online password, or forget to return your library books. You can also deliberately forget something: "I've decided to forget about becoming rich and famous and focus on what I like to do." When you accidentally leave something behind, like your umbrella, you also forget it. The Old English root of forget is forgietan, "fail to remember or neglect inadvertently."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forget forgets forgat forgot forgotten forgetting

In it, she said she would “never forget the love” she once felt for Bryan and insisted that she had never been interested in his “lifestyle or money.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Doing the TV show was one of the highlights of my entire life and something I'll never forget so having the opportunity to relive it in Scotland is so exciting."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Thank you for everything, we will never forget you," read a message on the candle, which accompanied flowers and a placard calling Abascal "the grandmother of an entire country".

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

And let’s not forget how, in this particular song, what’s happening is that Mills is singing the same lines as Stipe, just a beat or two slower; it’s not an echo, it’s dissonance.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Curl up on your couch with an overripe banana and forget you ever heard mention of this tale.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

That is, until Tom forgets his jacket inside the bookstore.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

We need to restore that belief, before the generation we indulged forgets it forever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

No matter how big he becomes, he never forgets where he came from.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

"The system forgets you; that is the beauty of it," says Anadol.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

“Suppose somebody forgets to fasten that seat belt of yours,” she said in that voice that sounded like she was chewing gravel.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Then, as the book saith, Sir Launcelot began to resort unto Queen Guenever again, and forgat the promise that he made in the quest.

From Stories of King Arthur and His Knights Retold from Malory's "Morte dArthur" by U. Waldo Cutler

I well-nigh forgat the sleeves—green velvet, slashed of mallard-colour satin; and guarded o’ silver lace—three pound, eight shillings, and four pence.”

From Joyce Morrell's Harvest The Annals of Selwick Hall by Emily Sarah Holt

But when Richard Cameron began to speak, I easily forgat everything else.

From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

"And I visit upon her the days of the Baalim, to whom she burnt incense, and put on her ring and her ornament, and went after her lovers, and forgat Me, saith the Lord."

From Christology of the Old Testament: And a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, Vol. 1 by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg

Your pardon, Dame; I forgat for the nonce that I spake to his daughter.

From The Well in the Desert An Old Legend of the House of Arundel by M. (Madelaine) Irwin

“One thing she never forgot was the cafe,” De Carmo said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

"I forgot to look down until I heard our baby's cry. I saw her face, gasping just as she did. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, taking in the light and shadow, blinking rapidly."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

While watching a video of a pastry class I took, I realized I forgot the name of the dessert.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Rolison’s case is one of inertia; he most likely forgot about his beneficiary designation entirely.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

“I’m okay, thanks. So, um… I forgot to tell you guys something,” I begin.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The subject was largely forgotten as panelists spoke about how this energy shock will evolve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

R.E.M. always had a sense of humor that felt like it got forgotten or overlooked once they were playing stadiums.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

This next example would be good for every 25-year-old to tape to his or her fridge so it’s not forgotten.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

"Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

I’d conveniently forgotten what I’d said to her back on the dock.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

“Every secretary of you know defense, transportation, treasury commerce IRS commissioner everyone gets right back to me,” she wrote, before adding the FBI director, his name misspelled: “Oh yeah, l’m forgetting cash Patel.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"I am slowly forgetting all the tricks," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

For those of us who were alive in 2001, forgetting the day itself is almost impossible.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

“She knows she has it. She knows she’s forgetting things. And this trip was an opportunity to not let the Alzheimer’s matter anymore.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

And there’s no forgetting the way those people were glaring at him in that Alabama restaurant just two days ago.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• fail
• ignore
• neglect
• overlook
• skip