forfeiture
Americannoun
-
something forfeited
-
the act of forfeiting or paying a penalty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of forfeiture
1300–50; Middle English forfeiture, forfeture < Old French. See forfeit, -ure
Explanation
Forfeiture is having to give something up, usually as a punishment. If kindergartners yell and run around instead of sitting quietly at their desks, it might result in a forfeiture of recess that day. When you forfeit something, you lose or relinquish it as a penalty for doing something wrong. An instance of this happening is a forfeiture, and you can describe the thing you have to sacrifice as a forfeiture too. In law, a forfeiture is the loss of rights or goods due to not fulfilling some obligation. For example, failing to make car payments to a bank can result in the forfeiture of your car.
Vocabulary lists containing forfeiture
The Constitution of the United States
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Stamp Act (1765)
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The Merchant of Venice
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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:
Sorting out who is entitled to the funds raises questions that can take years to answer, said Stefan Cassella, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in asset forfeiture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Most forfeiture targets have none of those advantages, which is why the overwhelming majority of forfeitures are never contested at all.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
He also agreed to the forfeiture of $15 billion of ill-gotten-gains as part of the plea deal, the Department of Justice said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Hawaii and Oregon have laws that allow for the forfeiture of an animal during a criminal case, according to the bill’s backers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
There appeared to be reason for supposing that the drowned informer had hoped for a reward out of this forfeiture, and had obtained some accurate knowledge of Magwitch’s affairs.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Most forfeiture targets have none of those advantages, which is why the overwhelming majority of forfeitures are never contested at all.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Judge Jay Rakoff also sentenced Rinsch to three years of supervised release, $11m in forfeitures, and a $700 fine.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The family and company are due to pay more than $8 billion in fines, forfeitures and penalties.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
The Justice Department has said the company agreed to billions of dollars in criminal and civil fines and forfeitures as part of its case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
At the time the new rules were adopted, the law governing civil forfeiture was so heavily weighted in favor of the government that fully 80 percent of forfeitures went uncontested.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
