forgive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
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to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
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to grant pardon to (a person).
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to cease to feel resentment against.
to forgive one's enemies.
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to cancel an indebtedness or liability of.
to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)
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to grant pardon for (a mistake, wrongdoing, etc)
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(tr) to free or pardon (someone) from penalty
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(tr) to free from the obligation of (a debt, payment, etc)
Related Words
See excuse.
Other Word Forms
- forgivable adjective
- forgivably adverb
- forgiver noun
- half-forgiven adjective
- preforgive verb (used with object)
- unforgivable adjective
- unforgivableness noun
- unforgivably adverb
- unforgiven adjective
Etymology
Origin of forgive
First recorded before 900; for- + give; replacing Middle English foryiven, Old English forgiefan
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.
Finally, I tell her that I’m sorry for how things went down with Titus and I hope she’ll forgive me.
From Literature
Lady Gaga has been so busy over the past five years, one can be forgiven for forgetting that she hasn’t released a solo LP since 2020’s “Chromatica.”
When Dominic Calvert-Lewin left Everton last summer after nine years with the club, he could be forgiven for being a little fearful of what his future held.
From BBC
But investors are more forgiving of big spending when the core business is humming.
I’d be a little more forgiving and suggest that your response to their gratitude could have been to indicate that you expected them to pay you back.
From MarketWatch
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.
