forgive
Americanverb (used with object)
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forgives,
present (3rd person singular)
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forgave,
past
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forgiven,
past participle
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forgiving
present participle
-
to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
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to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
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to grant pardon to (a person).
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to cease to feel resentment against.
to forgive one's enemies.
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to cancel an indebtedness or liability of.
to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
verb (used without object)
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forgives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forgave,
past
-
forgiven,
past participle
-
forgiving
present participle
verb
-
to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)
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to grant pardon for (a mistake, wrongdoing, etc)
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(tr) to free or pardon (someone) from penalty
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(tr) to free from the obligation of (a debt, payment, etc)
Synonym Usage
See excuse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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forgivernoun
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unforgivablenessnoun
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preforgiveverb (used with object)
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forgivableadjective
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half-forgivenadjective
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unforgivableadjective
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unforgivenadjective
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forgivablyadverb
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unforgivablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
forgivesimple
-
forgivessimple
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have forgivenperfect
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has forgivenperfect
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am forgivingprogressive
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are forgivingprogressive
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is forgivingprogressive
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have been forgivingperfect progressive
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has been forgivingperfect progressive
Past
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forgavesimple
-
had forgivenperfect
-
was forgivingprogressive
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were forgivingprogressive
-
had been forgivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forgive
First recorded before 900; for- + give; replacing Middle English foryiven, Old English forgiefan
Explanation
If you forgive someone, you stop blaming him. You should really forgive your kid sister for eating the rest of the cake. Forgive comes from the Old English forgiefan, which also means "forgive," just with cooler spelling. When you forgive someone or something, that's the end of the story. Eventually, you will have to either forgive your friend for stealing your boyfriend, or stop being her friend. Loans can also be forgiven. If your credit card company forgives your debt, that means you no longer have to pay it.
Vocabulary lists containing forgive
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:
My colleague Spencer Jakab wrote last week about why investors seem to forgive fallen investing stars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Sell it to your brother, you might cut the price to “give him a deal,” and later even forgive the payments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Words were used that do not belong to civilised society -- directed not just at me, but even at my late mother... I want to forgive them."
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The court heard how Long had left some of them with feelings of "guilt and shame" while others said they hoped their late relatives would forgive them.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I know it’s not reasonable to think you'll forgive me, but I hope you don't let my leaving hurt you too much for too long.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
About 50% of borrowers moved into the IBR plan, an older plan that caps monthly payments at 10% or 15% of discretionary income and forgives remaining balances after 20 or 25 years of payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
There is also a program for public-service employees like teachers that forgives any remaining balance after 10 years.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
The victim, who was not named, is still recovering and learning to trust but forgives the family in an act of faith, the statement said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2024
There's something magnanimous about the way Bon forgives his friend without condition, or because he knows that what they've gone through forces people to say things and think things when they know better.
From Salon ● May 27, 2024
“At the end, he’s sorry. He’s just really, really sorry about everything, and that’s enough. Everyone forgives him. Shakespeare lets Leontes be redeemed even though he did all that evil stuff.”
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
The speech was exploitative, but not demeaning, and the public forgave Nixon.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
They helped each other with childcare, and one loaned her money for her daughters’ tuition and then forgave the loan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
In response, Battle’s daughter not only forgave Burton, but has become an active advocate for his clemency.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
Clough never forgave Taylor, who was by then managing Derby County, for signing Robertson on a transfer with a fee to be decided by a tribunal, without informing him of his plans.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
But Pascal quickly forgave me, and it’s a good thing, since friends of my own age and gender were not available, the girls of Kilanga all being too busy hauling around firewood, water, or babies.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
In a world where everyone is carrying smartphones and setting up Ring cameras, you could be forgiven for thinking the war is over and the surveillance state won.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
You'd be forgiven for not being familiar with this organisation.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
If stock prices are your go-to economic barometer then you could be forgiven for ignoring the original “China Shock” a quarter-century ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
You could be forgiven for thinking Christopher Nolan doesn’t give much thought to what the audience wants.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sean, she thought, Sean probably hadn’t forgiven Didi.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Which ultimately is a reason to be forgiving of Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
What they could’ve done instead: Opt for lighter colors that are more forgiving, or get used to sweeping or vacuuming your floors more often.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
This weekend, Peter Parker is back — a little older, more world-weary and facing a far less forgiving market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Frozen puff pastry is wonderfully forgiving, provided you remember that butter prefers to stay cool.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Now, in the old days, Indians used to be forgiving of any kind of eccentricity.
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
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.
