forget

[ fer-get ]

/ fərˈgɛt /

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See synonyms for: forget / forgetting / forgotten / forgot 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.

to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall: to forget someone's name.

to omit or neglect unintentionally: I forgot to shut the window before leaving.

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

to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

to fail to think of; take no note of.

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.

to cease or omit to think of something.

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Idioms about forget

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

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

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, adjectivefor·get·ter, nounun·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

In the moment Isaiah Wright took flight — blond dreadlocks streaming behind him, a chance at his first career touchdown within reach — it was easy to forget how unlikely it all was.
For undrafted NFL rookies, the odds were even longer this year. Isaiah Wright made it anyway.|Sam Fortier|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
“I totally forgot about the fact that we were not finished with the agenda,” he said later.
For three hours, an obscure county board in Michigan was at the center of U.S. politics|Kayla Ruble, Tom Hamburger, David Fahrenthold|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
It’s time to rely on local partnerships, cross-border collaborations, and all the human teamwork that’s easy to forget when there’s a shiny new button to click.
Why people don’t trust contact tracing apps, and what to do about it|Lindsay Muscato|November 12, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In fact, the Reds have been so impenetrable defensively for the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget that they have also been as good as any team in the world going forward.
Liverpool And Manchester City Look Ordinary. Are They?|Terrence Doyle|November 12, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

I barely knew this person, and that is how she treated my family, which I will never forget.
She fell into QAnon and went viral for destroying a Target mask display. Now she’s rebuilding her life.|Travis Andrews|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
But his first forays into film were forgettable comedies like Booty Call.
Jamie Foxx: Get Over the Black ‘Annie’|Stereo Williams|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he seemed on first encounter to be very gray, more a forgettable clerk than a firebrand cleric.
Why Pope Francis Wants to Declare Murdered Archbishop Romero a Saint|Christopher Dickey|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, the Saudis vent their anger with fits of forgettable diplomatic rage.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s Gatsby, Master Spy|Christopher Dickey|November 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He is, and was at Georgetown, for the most part, general and passive and forgettable.
Obama’s Bad Salesmanship|Michael Tomasky|June 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And none of that really mattered anyway, because he was just forgettable at debates and on the stump.
The Real Reason Huntsman Lost|Justin Green|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the afternoon we moved our headquarters back a mile or so to a commodious and moderately clean farm with a forgettable name.
Adventures of a Despatch Rider|W. H. L. Watson
They are so much more passive and forgettable than luggage—abroad that is.
The Passionate Friends|Herbert George Wells
The Treaty contained many Articles, now become forgettable to mankind.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XVI. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
"I used to live here," he said, ashamed to be so forgettable.
In a Little Town|Rupert Hughes
All the time there was a steady bruise at the bottom of his soul, but so steady as to be forgettable.
The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for forget

forget

/ (fəˈɡɛt) /

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

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

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

(tr) to leave behind by mistake

(tr) to disregard intentionally

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

forget oneself

to act in an improper manner
to be unselfish
to be deep in thought

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

Derived forms of forget

forgettable, adjectiveforgetter, noun

Word Origin for forget

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

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

forget

Idioms about forget

Origin of forget

usage note for forget

OTHER WORDS FROM forget

Words related to forget

How to use forget in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forget

Derived forms of forget

Word Origin for forget

Other Idioms and Phrases with forget