forgive
Americanverb (used with object)
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forgives,
present (3rd person singular)
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forgave,
past
-
forgiven,
past participle
-
forgiving
present participle
-
to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
-
to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
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to grant pardon to (a person).
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to cease to feel resentment against.
to forgive one's enemies.
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to cancel an indebtedness or liability of.
to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
verb (used without object)
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forgives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forgave,
past
-
forgiven,
past participle
-
forgiving
present participle
verb
-
to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)
-
to grant pardon for (a mistake, wrongdoing, etc)
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(tr) to free or pardon (someone) from penalty
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(tr) to free from the obligation of (a debt, payment, etc)
Synonym Usage
See excuse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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forgivernoun
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unforgivablenessnoun
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preforgiveverb (used with object)
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forgivableadjective
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half-forgivenadjective
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unforgivableadjective
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unforgivenadjective
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forgivablyadverb
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unforgivablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
forgivesimple
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forgivessimple
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have forgivenperfect
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has forgivenperfect
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am forgivingprogressive
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are forgivingprogressive
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is forgivingprogressive
-
have been forgivingperfect progressive
-
has been forgivingperfect progressive
Past
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forgavesimple
-
had forgivenperfect
-
was forgivingprogressive
-
were forgivingprogressive
-
had been forgivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forgive
First recorded before 900; for- + give; replacing Middle English foryiven, Old English forgiefan
Explanation
If you forgive someone, you stop blaming him. You should really forgive your kid sister for eating the rest of the cake. Forgive comes from the Old English forgiefan, which also means "forgive," just with cooler spelling. When you forgive someone or something, that's the end of the story. Eventually, you will have to either forgive your friend for stealing your boyfriend, or stop being her friend. Loans can also be forgiven. If your credit card company forgives your debt, that means you no longer have to pay it.
Vocabulary lists containing forgive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Asked by CBS if he could forgive his foes, when faced with going to heaven or not, he demurred.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
I’ll forgive it only because “In Bruges” is one of the best movies of the 21st century.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Plenty of people in these pages count their chickens before they’ve hatched, so we can forgive Daniel’s children allowing their expectations to get in the way of reality.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
If you’re going this route, McKeown advises against having a fixed plan to forgive the debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The French had suffered a humiliating defeat in their war with Germany in 1870–71, when France was forced to surrender the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, a loss that France could neither forgive nor forget.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
About 50% of borrowers moved into the IBR plan, an older plan that caps monthly payments at 10% or 15% of discretionary income and forgives remaining balances after 20 or 25 years of payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
There is also a program for public-service employees like teachers that forgives any remaining balance after 10 years.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
In their final exchange, Serena apologizes for what she’s done and June forgives her.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025
There's something magnanimous about the way Bon forgives his friend without condition, or because he knows that what they've gone through forces people to say things and think things when they know better.
From Salon ● May 27, 2024
I hope he’s watching now, that he remembers that night as it happened, and maybe forgives me when I die.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
“I don’t know how you’re doing it,” Bustillos’ mother said after Gonzalez told Bustillos she forgave him for the crash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
I never forgave him for leaving us and hurting my mother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The speech was exploitative, but not demeaning, and the public forgave Nixon.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
In response, Battle’s daughter not only forgave Burton, but has become an active advocate for his clemency.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
The theory was indeed wrong, but the scientist never forgave him.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
One could be forgiven if memories of the cool-internet era have grown fuzzier over the years, now that the web has become a self-regulating machine in an indomitable surveillance system and all.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
Other pitfalls just have to be forgiven, like when Abrams has to explain how he’s feeling with an air hose between his teeth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Loans can also be forgiven at any period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The proposal is breathtaking in its audacity, so much so that you could be forgiven for being distracted by all the elements and missing the bigger picture.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
He was not sure if she had forgiven him for the incident with Olanna—they had never talked about it—but this note, this new openness, meant that she was ready to move forward.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“That’s a tough barometer that Americans are not very forgiving on,” De Haan told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
"Strong results are no longer enough if the outlook fails to match an already demanding valuation. Investors are becoming much less forgiving."
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
But after Gouken’s tragic murder — the particulars will eventually be revealed in flashbacks — Ken and Ryu went their separate ways, Ken never forgiving Ryu for failing to save Gouken’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
But critics say there is a difference between forgiving Galliano’s words and throwing a glamorous party in his honor—which also would fall at the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah in Hebrew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Lucky that she is forgiving and understanding, and that she knows how to wear down anyone’s defenses.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
