forsake
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
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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
But choosing a different faction means I forsake my family.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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
We agreed to disagree that my favorite Nolan film, “Interstellar,” forsakes emotion for an intricate plot.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2020
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
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
Starting with the 1967-68 expansion that doubled it from six to 12 teams, the NHL often was so busy trying to grow that it forsook quality for quantity.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2018
And for thee I hungered and forsook my bed.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
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
An older woman looks at him and straightaway diagnoses his problem: “Have you forsaken your soul?” she asks.
From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
Not only have electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles replaced gas-guzzling cars, but many people have forsaken car-ownership altogether, in favor of much more economic and widely available solutions like e-bikes, robo-taxis and public transit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2023
‘But you can’t leave poor old Bill behind in this forsaken place, Mr. Gandalf!’ cried Sam, angry and distressed.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
"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
It also added a neon sign and then subtracted it, eventually forsaking much of its original design as owners and managers came and went.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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
Even so, losing her voice didn’t mean forsaking her songwriting, a talent that led to a resourceful strategy for a comeback.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 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.
