forsake
Americanverb (used with object)
-
forsakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forsook,
past
-
forsaken,
past participle
-
forsaking
present participle
-
to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert.
She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.
-
to give up or renounce (a habit, way of life, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- forgo, relinquish, forswear
verb
-
to abandon
-
to give up (something valued or enjoyed)
Synonym Usage
See desert 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
forsakesimple
-
forsakessimple
-
have forsakenperfect
-
has forsakenperfect
-
am forsakingprogressive
-
are forsakingprogressive
-
is forsakingprogressive
-
have been forsakingperfect progressive
-
has been forsakingperfect progressive
Past
-
forsooksimple
-
had forsakenperfect
-
was forsakingprogressive
-
were forsakingprogressive
-
had been forsakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forsake
First recorded before 900; Middle English forsaken “to deny, reject,” Old English forsacan, equivalent to for- prefix meaning “away, off” + sacan “to dispute”; see for-
Explanation
To forsake another person is to leave them entirely, usually in a moment of need. Forsake may mean simply giving something up, such as a way of life or a homeland, for something better or more appropriate. But it is often a mean word, suggesting leaving something or someone behind when they need you to stay. One way to remember the meaning of this verb — to abandon or desert — is to remember this little sentence: "For heaven's sake, don't leave me, or heaven is lost!" Lose the heaven, and you have forsake.
Vocabulary lists containing forsake
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Advanced English Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“We believe that this was a blessing from God—proof that the Lord does not forsake us.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
But Iran's governing football body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to forsake their home nation against their will.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
It’s the one noticeable design misstep in Daniel’s production, but it reflects the character’s desire to become part of a world that has always seemed ready to forsake him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025
The teaching that God will “never leave or forsake you” is found multiple times in the Bible.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2024
“Do you forsake the parrot and all his lies?”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
In the process, Serse forsakes his betrothed, Amastre, who spends much of the opera fulminating while dressed as a man.
From New York Times ● May 9, 2022
Communion’s corn chowder forsakes the usual restaurant goal of consistency in favor of homestyle evolution.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2021
John Ford’s account of an idealistic doctor who forsakes personal wealth to find a cure for the bubonic plague.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2020
Director X’s “Superfly” transplants the 1972 Blaxploitation classic from Harlem streets to suburban Atlanta mansions, flips Curtis Mayfield’s soul score for Future’s hip-hop soundtrack and forsakes the original’s politically charged grit for shallow music-video indulgence.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 12, 2018
There was a dignity to her grief and an acceptance of the fait accompli—the fatalism that the pilot’s wife must beget whenever her mate forsakes her for his aircraft.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Hook frequently forsook food for the cat poop he always seemed to find on our lawn and in our backyard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Later, he forsook arts cinema to become a highly bankable commercial actor, as at home in comedy as in drama.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2021
Foster Huntington, 32, was a designer for Ralph Lauren before he forsook city life to build a treehouse and a skatepark on land in Washington State, among other adventures.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2020
But then, after a single term, she became pregnant and forsook academia.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 24, 2020
“The men in green all forsook England a hundred years ago,” said I, speaking as seriously as he had done.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Anguished and alone, Nick is similarly cast away, seemingly cursed to spend the rest of his days forsaken in his hometown, now a foreign land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
It’s a fleeting tableau, but it reveals the whole story: even the most forsaken creation reaches for connection the moment he’s given something warm to hold in his hands.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2025
He goes on to say they were "looking forward to a day scampering" and made the decision to leave their packs because they spent two days "lugging them up this God forsaken valley".
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2025
Henley’s current lawyer, Dan Petrocelli, said in an emailed statement that the attorney-client privilege that had previously shielded some of the communications “is a foundational guardrail in our justice system” that should rarely be forsaken.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
“Even if I make the potion,” Petroc said, “I can’t administer it. D’you understand me? It needs to be heated by dryad fire, and there are—you may have noticed—no dryads on this forsaken island.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
"I think Cam is a one-major guy if you go to LIV because you are forsaking your competitiveness for money," Clayton told me in 2023.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom forsaking his office to run the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025
Even more than an internal feeling, truly great art produces new conversations, and this one about how to create without forsaking yourself in the process is only just beginning.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2025
He said a schism would amount to forsaking the rich spiritual legacy of the UMC in Africa and would severe its valuable international bonds.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
She turns to me, forsaking her view for a moment.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
