forgive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
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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)
verb
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to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)
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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
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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
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have been forgivingperfect progressive
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has been forgivingperfect progressive
Past
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forgavesimple
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had forgivenperfect
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was forgivingprogressive
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were forgivingprogressive
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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:
“We don’t forgive or forget,” one placard said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
I could survive with 10%, but my brother has a much lower-paying career, and I would struggle to forgive my father if his actions deprived my brother of financial security.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
There’s all this tough stuff, and then we try to forgive each other and let it go, but without saying it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
And though his passion is food — and mine is scrutinizing it skeptically — I forgive him, because the show has become a minor obsession.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
She’d hurt me deeply yesterday, and I wasn’t about to forgive or forget.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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
She especially forgives him for it whenever she sees him write by hand; he crouches over in concentration, his arm curled and his fingers pressing hard like a child, and she loves this.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
The speech was exploitative, but not demeaning, and the public forgave Nixon.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
They helped each other with childcare, and one loaned her money for her daughters’ tuition and then forgave the loan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
In response, Battle’s daughter not only forgave Burton, but has become an active advocate for his clemency.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
In each instance, despite her pain, Davis forgave him, trusting in the underlying strength of their bond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
He told me that unless I forgave myself this would go on and on and I would never be able to stop running.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
You can be forgiven for thinking you won’t need to learn much about the new guy in No 10.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
You could be forgiven for thinking Christopher Nolan doesn’t give much thought to what the audience wants.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
In other versions of income-driven repayment, borrowers could have their loans forgiven after 20 or 25 years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Interestingly, reading the two cases back-to-back, you might be forgiven for not recognizing the similarities.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
They need to make mistakes and be forgiven and do better the next time.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
While England did benefit from some fixtures being played in air-conditioned stadiums with roofs, such as in Atlanta against DR Congo, other conditions were less forgiving.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
But when it came to Racicot’s allegations, he was a lot more forgiving.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
“The market is still willing to believe in AI as a secular theme, but it is becoming less forgiving of any signs that returns may be deferred,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Hopefully people will make the connection of the importance of dreaming and planning and affirmations but also the importance of letting things go, like forgiving people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
‘But I can always charm Father into forgiving me. He’s never been able to stay mad at me. It’s you I’m worried about.’
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
