forsake

[fawr-seyk]

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verb (used with object), for·sook, for·sak·en, for·sak·ing.

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.).

Origin of forsake

before 900; Middle English forsaken to deny, reject, Old English forsacan, equivalent to for- for- + sacan to dispute

Related formsfor·sak·er, nounun·for·sak·ing, adjective

Synonyms for forsake

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2. forswear, relinquish, forgo.

Synonym study

1. See desert².

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for forsake

relinquish, quit, spurn, renounce, repudiate, forgo, forswear, disown, jettison, disclaim, abdicate, jilt, yield, leave, resign, surrender, desert

Examples from the Web for forsake

Contemporary Examples of forsake

Every hour, the anthem is played, followed by Orthodox priests intoning prayers and beseeching God not to forsake Ukraine.
EuroMaidan Protesters: We Want U.S. Protection
Jamie Dettmer
March 4, 2014
But will he be willing to forsake his lucrative gig at Fox News to grind it out on the campaign trail?
Who Does the GOP Really Have To Run Against Hillary in 2016?
Myra Adams
January 14, 2014
Muhammad assumed this risk because he refused to forsake any opportunity for peace.
Prophet Muhammad’s Rules of War
Qasim Rashid
November 20, 2012
The Kremlin will have little choice but to forsake its mega-projects.
Hydraulic Fracking's Putting the Screws to Vladimir and Friends
Justin Green
September 28, 2012
He understood that to be leisurely is to forsake possibilities, even lives.
Christopher Hitchens Eulogized by Roya Hakakian
Roya Hakakian
December 16, 2011

Historical Examples of forsake

O'Mooney's presence of mind did not forsake him upon this emergency.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
O blessed Spirit, whom I forsake for these, they are not thou!
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
There was no style, no state, unless she wished to forsake him.
The Wings of the Dove, Volume 1 of 2
Henry James
How could I forsake my child, feeling my vigor all the time—the blood warm within me?
End of the Tether
Joseph Conrad
Woe for the day when he was seduced to forsake that dear retirement!
The Rector
Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

British Dictionary definitions for forsake

forsake

verb -sakes, -saking, -sook (-ˈsʊk) or -saken (-ˈseɪkən) (tr)

to abandon
to give up (something valued or enjoyed)

Derived Formsforsaker, noun

Word Origin for forsake

Old English forsacan

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 forsake

Old English forsacan "object to, decline, oppose, refuse, deny," from for- "completely" + sacan "to deny, refuse" (see sake). Related: Forsaking.