forfeit

American  

[fawr-fit] / ˈfɔr fɪt /

noun

• forfeits
  plural

1. a fine; penalty.

2. an act of forfeiting; forfeiture.

3. something to which the right is lost, as for commission of a crime or misdeed, neglect of duty, or violation of a contract.

4. an article deposited in a game because of a mistake and redeemable by a fine or penalty.

5. (used with a singular verb) forfeits, a game in which such articles are taken from the players.

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verb (used with object)

• forfeits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forfeited,
  past participle,  past
• forfeiting
  present participle

1. to subject to seizure as a forfeit.

2. to lose or become liable to lose, as in consequence of crime, fault, or breach of engagement.

   Synonyms:

   waive, forgo, relinquish, yield, surrender, mulct

adjective

1. lost or subject to loss by forfeiture.

forfeit British  

/ ˈfɔːfɪt /

noun

1. something lost or given up as a penalty for a fault, mistake, etc

2. the act of losing or surrendering something in this manner

3. law something confiscated as a penalty for an offence, breach of contract, etc

4. (sometimes plural)

   1. a game in which a player has to give up an object, perform a specified action, etc, if he commits a fault

   2. an object so given up

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verb

1. (tr) to lose or be liable to lose in consequence of a mistake, fault, etc

2. (tr) law

   1. to confiscate as punishment

   2. to surrender (something exacted as a penalty)

adjective

1. surrendered or liable to be surrendered as a penalty

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forfeiter
  noun
• reforfeit
  verb (used with object)
• forfeitable
  adjective
• nonforfeitable
  adjective
• nonforfeiting
  adjective
• unforfeitable
  adjective
• unforfeiting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forfeits
  plural

Participles

• forfeiting
  present
• forfeited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• forfeit
  simple
• forfeits
  simple
• have forfeited
  perfect
• has forfeited
  perfect
• am forfeiting
  progressive
• are forfeiting
  progressive
• is forfeiting
  progressive
• have been forfeiting
  perfect progressive
• has been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• forfeited
  simple
• had forfeited
  perfect
• was forfeiting
  progressive
• were forfeiting
  progressive
• had been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will forfeit
  simple
• will have forfeited
  perfect
• will be forfeiting
  progressive
• will have been forfeiting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of forfeit

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English forfet, from Old French (past participle of forfaire “to commit crime, to lose possession or right through a criminal act”), from Medieval Latin forīs factum “penalty,” past participle of forīs facere “to transgress,” equivalent to Latin forīs “outside, wrongly” + facere “to make, do”

Explanation

Forfeit means to lose or give up something, usually as a penalty. If you don’t finish your homework and eat all your broccoli, you'll most likely forfeit your right to watch TV before going to bed. An adjective, noun, and verb all rolled into one, forfeit came into existence around 1300 meaning “to lose by misconduct.” To forfeit is to lose or give up something as punishment for making an error. A forfeit is what is lost. You've probably heard of forfeiting a game or match — like when you don't show up with enough players or pick one too many fights with the opposing team.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forfeit forfeits forfeited forfeiting

Mostly they knowingly forfeit the cash to have their 15 minutes in the limelight, sending up the pageantry of British politics.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

The lawsuit asked the court to order Kalshi to halt its operation, make restitution to customers, forfeit all illegal gains and pay fines equal to triple those gains.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Plenty of corporations have mandated that employees work in person or forfeit their jobs, but it’s rare that those consequences apply to leadership.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

In addition to prison time, Rinsch must serve three years of supervised release, forfeit the $11 million and pay $700 in mandatory special assessments, according to Monday’s announcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

She told me that she’d thought about going to get a hamburger, but the referee told her before the game that if she left the field her team would have to forfeit.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

If Warsh goes quiet while his colleagues continue to give economic-outlook speeches, a kind of unilateral disarmament could take hold where the chair forfeits the bully pulpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

But a court that tolerates such defiance eventually forfeits the right to demand obedience.

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026

Alford responded with a Bible verse from the Gospel of Matthew: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” according to texts viewed by The Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

The school, which also had problems with forfeits in other sports, hired a new football coach in Doug Bledsoe, who has vowed to rebuild the program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025

As it developed, the flu forfeits didn’t affect Bobby’s pairings or score.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

A government that will chase its own citizens for taxes incurred in 1999 has forfeited any argument that 1938 is too long ago to matter.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

On 24 June, Donaldson asked for his knighthood to be forfeited and tendered his resignation from the Privy Council with immediate effect.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

But after giving up an RBI double to Kyle Karros and a bases-loaded double to Cole Carrigg, Scott forfeited the lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

In dissent, Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, said the Mississippi state courts had concluded that Pitchford’s trial team had forfeited a portion of their argument about racially discriminatory jury selection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

When Judith doesn't show up at the appointed time, Willem jokes that she has forfeited the right to one of her thimbles, and he should get to drink it instead.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

When crossing a size threshold means forfeiting valuable exemptions and preferences, rational owners stay below it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Armstrong adds that investors should get a discount for forfeiting control: "I want to pay less for a company where my ownership does not include control."

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

It’s a winning combination for these two indexes to reduce risk by a fifth while forfeiting only about a 10th of the S&P 500 return.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 6, 2026

Then, the Dodgers would have had to reconfigure their defense, likely moving first baseman Freddie Freeman to third, catcher Dalton Rushing to first base and Smith behind the plate, forfeiting the designated hitter spot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

If I don’t, I might end up forfeiting the bounty to some other hunter who can stay in the Championships.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• abandon
• lose
• relinquish
• renounce
• surrender