forgive

[fer-giv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forgive ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), for·gave, for·giv·en, for·giv·ing.

to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.

to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).

to grant pardon to (a person).

to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.

to cancel an indebtedness or liability of: to forgive the interest owed on a loan.

verb (used without object), for·gave, for·giv·en, for·giv·ing.

to pardon an offense or an offender.

Origin of forgive

before 900; for- + give; replacing Middle English foryiven, Old English forgiefan

Related formsfor·giv·a·ble, adjectivefor·giv·er, nounhalf-for·giv·en, adjectivepre·for·give, verb (used with object) pre·for·gave, pre·for·giv·en, pre·for·giv·ing.un·for·giv·a·ble, adjectiveun·for·giv·a·ble·ness, nounun·for·giv·a·bly, adverbun·for·giv·en, adjective

Can be confusedcommute forgive pardon (see synonym study at pardon)

Synonyms for forgive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forgive ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See excuse. 3. absolve, acquit.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for forgiven

reinstated

Examples from the Web for forgiven

Contemporary Examples of forgiven

I hope I can be forgiven for finding this echo more than merely coincidental.
Meet Moses the Swashbuckling Israelite
James Romm
December 14, 2014
What on earth, one might have been forgiven for wondering, was she going to be reporting about?
Pippa Middleton's Country Dancing NBC Try Out
Tom Sykes
November 7, 2014
After a stern media backlash, Dunham decided to pay her opening acts and, predictably, all was forgiven.
Will White Feminists Finally Dump Lena Dunham?
Samantha Allen
November 4, 2014
Pope Paul VI and the Church at that time could be forgiven for puritanical idealism.
The Vatican's Same-Sex Synod: The Bishops Hear About Reality. Do They Listen?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 12, 2014
Janay Rice says she has forgiven her husband and that we should all mind our own business.
Harsh Truths About Domestic Violence: Why Voicing Terrible Experiences Can Help Others
Lizzie Crocker
September 20, 2014

Historical Examples of forgiven

And you cannot have said you were sorry, or he would have forgiven you!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
It was the first time he had ever felt the cut of a whip, and the blow was not forgiven.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
O mother, I have forgiven him, and he will now take me to Riolama, to our people.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
It's well he's dead, for if he had lived, I am afraid I should have forgiven him.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
For every sauce invented and accepted a vice is renounced and forgiven.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for forgiven

forgive

verb -gives, -giving, -gave or -given

to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)

to grant pardon for (a mistake, wrongdoing, etc)

(tr) to free or pardon (someone) from penalty

(tr) to free from the obligation of (a debt, payment, etc)

Derived Formsforgivable, adjectiveforgivably, adverbforgiver, noun

Word Origin for forgive

Old English forgiefan; see for-, give

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

Word Origin and History for forgiven

forgive

Old English forgiefan "give, grant, allow; forgive," also "to give up" and "to give in marriage;" from for- "completely" + giefan "give" (see give).

The modern sense of "to give up desire or power to punish" is from use of the compound as a Germanic loan-translation of Latin perdonare (cf. Old Saxon fargeban, Dutch vergeven, German vergeben, Gothic fragiban; see pardon). Related: Forgave; forgiven; forgiving.