forsake

[ fawr-seyk ]

verb (used with object)

, for·sook [fawr-, sook], for·sak·en, for·sak·ing.

1. to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert:

   She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.

2. to give up or renounce (a habit, way of life, etc.).

   Synonyms: forgo, relinquish, forswear

forsake

/ fəˈseɪk /

verb

1. to abandon
2. to give up (something valued or enjoyed)

Derived Forms

• forˈsaker, noun

Other Words From

• for·saker noun
• unfor·saking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forsake¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English forsaken “to deny, reject,” Old English forsacan, equivalent to for- prefix meaning “away, off” + sacan “to dispute”; for-

Word History and Origins

Origin of forsake¹

Old English forsacan

Synonym Study

See desert ².

Example Sentences

Long-term settlement of Earth orbit, the moon, Mars, and beyond requires explorers forsake Earth’s gravity—the steady downward force every Earthly animal has evolved to navigate over billions of years.

From Singularity Hub 

It is appalling that we have now forsaken both the political spirit and the essential public policy machinery that was deployed so effectively just over a decade ago.

From Time

You forsake most notions of fashion for the efficiency of functionality.

From Outside Online

Houston, like TCU, was one of the forsaken former SWC teams that didn’t make the cut for the Big 12 when it was created.

From Washington Post

One of you may have to forsake the toaster oven you’ve enjoyed for the past decade in favor of the newer, smaller model your future roommate owns.

From Washington Post

Every hour, the anthem is played, followed by Orthodox priests intoning prayers and beseeching God not to forsake Ukraine.

From The Daily Beast

But will he be willing to forsake his lucrative gig at Fox News to grind it out on the campaign trail?

From The Daily Beast

Muhammad assumed this risk because he refused to forsake any opportunity for peace.

From The Daily Beast

The Kremlin will have little choice but to forsake its mega-projects.

From The Daily Beast

He understood that to be leisurely is to forsake possibilities, even lives.

From The Daily Beast

From it I learned that, if I would gain heaven, I must forsake sin and live a pure life.

From Project Gutenberg

His many failures caused his friends to forsake him and he was put in prison for not paying his debts.

From Project Gutenberg

May he hear your prayers, and be reconciled unto you, and never forsake you in the evil time.

From Project Gutenberg

As favour and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before.

From Project Gutenberg

He hasn't the nerve to forsake his native heath and roam the wide world, a free and independent gentleman.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• disown
• forgo
• forswear
• jettison
• quit
• relinquish
• renounce
• repudiate
• set aside
• spurn