Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fordo

American  
[fawr-doo] / fɔrˈdu /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.
fordid, fordone, fordoing
  1. to do away with; kill; destroy.

  2. to ruin; undo.


fordo British  
/ fɔːˈduː /

verb

  1. to destroy

  2. to exhaust

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fordo

before 900; Middle English fordon, Old English fordōn ( see fore-, do 1); cognate with Dutch verdoen, Old High German fartuon

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:

So benevolent is God to mankind, that he has set his angels over us as guardians, that they may not allow the fierce devils to fordo us.

From The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of ?lfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I. by Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham

Full she drad that God the Wreaker all mankind would fordo with water for his evil sins.

From Ulysses by Joyce, James

Juno, Thus hath your ire our lineage all fordo* *undone, ruined Save only me, and wretched Palamon, That Theseus martyreth in prison.

From The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Purves, D. Laing

This eventful day, which, to quote Iago, was either to "make or fordo quite" the widow, found her as calm, cool and deliberate in the execution of her purpose as the Ancient himself.

From A Book of Remarkable Criminals by Irving, Henry Brodribb

And then all they that longed to the castle came to him, and did him homage and fealty, praying him that he would abide there still a little while to fordo that foul custom.

From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Malory, Thomas, Sir

Also Merlin let make there a bed, that there should never man lie therein but he went out of his wit, yet Launcelot de Lake fordid that bed through his noblesse.

From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Malory, Thomas, Sir

Him longing fordid To wot whether the bold man he quick there shall meet In that mead-stead, e'en he the king of the Weders, All sick of his might, whereas he erst Itft him.

From The Tale of Beowulf Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats by Anonymous

And yet they are talking about our fathers being such good men, while they are cursing us fordoing precisely what they did, only to a less extent than they did.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 8 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Political by Ingersoll, Robert Green

He came across them as they fared slowly down the bent, looking weary and fordone.

From The Sundering Flood by Morris, May

He was near fordone, poor man! but still entreatingly prayed, in sentences broken by consumptive spasms, for wisdom and faith and the fire of the Holy Ghost in this dire emergency.

From The Cruise of the Shining Light by Duncan, Norman

Lo, I'm a man fordone, in this world and the next, Except my      spright of God be solaced and consoled!

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume II by Payne, John

So there he lay asleep, the steadfast goodly Odysseus, fordone with toil and drowsiness.

From The Odyssey Done into English prose by Lang, Andrew

His body fordone with age is by them considered to be full of the spirit of wisdom.

From Seeds of Pine by Canuck, Janey

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training