forget

[ fer-get ]
See synonyms for forget on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),for·got or (Archaic) for·gat [fer-gat]; /fərˈgæt/; for·got·ten [fer-got-n] /fərˈgɒt n/ or for·got; for·get·ting.
  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.

  1. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take: to forget one's keys.

  2. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

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

  4. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.

verb (used without object),for·got or (Archaic) for·gat [fer-gat]; /fərˈgæt/; for·got·ten [fer-got-n] /fərˈgɒt n/ or for·got; for·get·ting.
  1. to cease or omit to think of something.

Idioms about forget

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

Origin of forget

1
First recorded before 900; for- + get; replacing Middle English foryeten, Old English forg(i)etan; cognate with Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan

usage note For forget

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 words from forget

  • for·get·ta·ble, adjective
  • for·get·ter, noun
  • un·for·get·ting, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use forget in a sentence

  • He forgets, you see, that he possessed an unusual constitution, and the temperament of a Norwegian herring.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • If the editor forgets himself, as in the case cited, suit for libel is sure to be brought and often proves a serious thing.

  • When a woman no longer loves a man, she forgets the very favours she has granted him.

  • When one has a little money and goes to dine with a former mistress one forgets everything.

    Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile Gautier
  • The Spaniards are a generous people, and no one forgets or forgives more easily or more entirely.

    Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street

British Dictionary definitions for forget

forget

/ (fəˈɡɛt) /


verb-gets, -getting or -got or -gotten or archaic, dialect -got
  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

  1. (tr) to leave behind by mistake

  2. (tr) to disregard intentionally

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

  4. forget oneself

    • to act in an improper manner

    • to be unselfish

    • to be deep in thought

  5. forget it! an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic

Origin of forget

1
Old English forgietan; related to Old Frisian forgeta, Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan

Derived forms of forget

  • forgettable, adjective
  • forgetter, noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with forget

forget

In addition to the idiom beginning with forget

  • forget it
  • forget oneself

also see:

  • forgive and forget

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.