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

The only other Southern Section action would be forcing Inglewood to forfeit games the players played in, but the school lost to Westlake, making a forfeit moot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Others will simply have to forfeit all that.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

By doing so, they forfeit much claim to our sympathies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

“Don’t tell them we won. Say they lost because of forfeit due to injury.”

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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

Hawkins coach Ronald Coltress is the one who had the put the program back together after it went 0-13 in 2016 because of forfeits and firings of coaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025

“Either your player forfeits the set, or he gets back out there and finishes the game,” Reverend Hollister continued.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Palisades High athletic director Rocky Montz announced Thursday afternoon that the Dolphins have forfeited their nonleague football game at San Pedro on Friday night because of an illness outbreak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 30, 2022, two days before Dylan would have forfeited the ability to seek damages under Governor Newsom’s Child Victims Act.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

The fund has returned more than $13 billion in forfeited assets to victims and their families since 2000, according to the department, which has said paying victims is a priority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Because Jonas collapsed on the job, they said, he had forfeited his ration.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Retailers facing higher wholesale prices for fuel deliveries are given the choice of passing this increase onto the customer, or forfeiting their profitable margins.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The university telegraphed Dartmouth and stated that they were forfeiting the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

"We want the Lebanese state to negotiate for itself, and nobody is suggesting forfeiting this role," Fayyad said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

Koepka returned to the Tour via a program for major winners, forfeiting up to $90 million in bonuses and equity, and must earn his way into top events.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Yet should he admit this and risk forfeiting the one friend who had ever “truly understood” him?

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• abandon
• lose
• relinquish
• renounce
• surrender