forgive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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).
-
to cease to feel resentment against.
to forgive one's enemies.
-
to cancel an indebtedness or liability of.
to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
(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
-
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
-
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:
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
Real friends might forgive Misty when she lets them down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
I don’t know how to talk to you right now, and I want you to forgive me.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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
After the protests, Modi urged Indians not to harass “misguided” youth and said he forgave people who had used vulgar language against him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
In each instance, despite her pain, Davis forgave him, trusting in the underlying strength of their bond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
“You let me come with you, even after acquiring your uncle’s car. And it looks like you’re beginning to forgive Jacqui for...well, for just being Jacqui. You even forgave Kelton after the whole drone thing.”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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
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
The Dodgers could be forgiven for believing it will all work out in the end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
I’m surprised she’s forgiven that girl for choosing someone else as her cooking showcase partner.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
“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
Courts are sometimes more forgiving of burdens on speech when the real focus of a law is conduct, and when any restriction on speech is minor and incidental.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
I wonder if James can really be this forgiving, or if he is simply so happy to be off that stinking ship that he has forgotten the past.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
