forget

American  

[fer-get] / fərˈgɛt /

verb (used with object)

forgets, present (3rd person singular) forgot, past forgat, past forgotten, past participle forgetting present participle

1. to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall.

   to forget someone's name.

2. to omit or neglect unintentionally.

   I forgot to shut the window before leaving.

3. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take.

   to forget one's keys.

4. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

5. to fail to think of; take no note of.

6. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.

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verb (used without object)

forgets, present (3rd person singular) forgot, past forgat, past forgotten, past participle forgetting present participle

1. to cease or omit to think of something.

idioms

1. forget oneself, to say or do something improper or unbefitting one's rank, position, or character.

forget British  

/ fəˈɡɛt /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember

2. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error

3. (tr) to leave behind by mistake

4. (tr) to disregard intentionally

5. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention

6. 1. to act in an improper manner

   2. to be unselfish

   3. to be deep in thought

7. an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic

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forget More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing forget

• forgive and forget

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Usage

Both forgot and forgotten are used as the past participle of forget : Many have already forgot (or forgotten ) the hard times of the Depression. Only forgotten is used attributively: half-forgotten memories.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forgetter
  noun
• forgettable
  adjective
• unforgetting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• forgetting
  present
• forgotten
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• forget
  simple
• forgets
  simple
• have forgotten
  perfect
• has forgotten
  perfect
• are forgetting
  progressive
• am forgetting
  progressive
• is forgetting
  progressive
• have been forgetting
  perfect progressive
• has been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Past

• forgat
  simple
• forgot
  simple
• had forgotten
  perfect
• was forgetting
  progressive
• were forgetting
  progressive
• had been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will forget
  simple
• will have forgotten
  perfect
• will be forgetting
  progressive
• will have been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of forget

First recorded before 900; for- + get; replacing Middle English foryeten, Old English forg(i)etan; cognate with Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan

Explanation

When you forget something, you can't recall or remember it. An actor who forgets his lines might need some helpful cues from the other actors on stage. You might forget on online password, or forget to return your library books. You can also deliberately forget something: "I've decided to forget about becoming rich and famous and focus on what I like to do." When you accidentally leave something behind, like your umbrella, you also forget it. The Old English root of forget is forgietan, "fail to remember or neglect inadvertently."

Example Sentences

"Noah doesn't take to many people, but he took to Caroline - she just makes him forget that he's having a haircut," Hayley says.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

They also can’t forget the eerie reality that the S&P 500 semiconductors index has traded similarly to the way it did in the late 1990s—just before the dot-com bubble burst.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

I’ll never forget, Bunnie looked at me, and, man, it makes me emotional.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

It’s good and healthy to forget about the world’s problems for a little while, to give our poor amygdalas a rest with a concert, a bowling league, some really good jujitsu.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

‘Always together in that heart. You are my one true family. Keep this and remember that it’s you and me together. I’ll never forget that. All right?’

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• fail
• ignore
• neglect
• overlook
• skip