forgive
verb (used with object)
to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
forgiven
-
past participleof forgive.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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.
Show up on a Wednesday night and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the middle of a busy Saturday.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
All will be forgiven if Allen delivers, reverses all those decades of bad juju and hoists the Lombardi hood ornament into the sky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Investors returning from the Labor Day break could be forgiven for wondering if their eyes were deceiving them, but yes, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were significantly worse than the S&P 500.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Such poetic license offers little new insight into a topic that has already been picked over for two decades, but it might be forgiven were Hansen as easily dramatized as he is made fun of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
You can be forgiven if you found the previous paragraph confusing.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
