forget
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall.
to forget someone's name.
-
to omit or neglect unintentionally.
I forgot to shut the window before leaving.
-
to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take.
to forget one's keys.
-
to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.
-
to fail to think of; take no note of.
-
to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember
-
(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error
-
(tr) to leave behind by mistake
-
(tr) to disregard intentionally
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention
-
-
to act in an improper manner
-
to be unselfish
-
to be deep in thought
-
-
an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic
Usage
Both forgot and forgotten are used as the past participle of forget : Many have already forgot (or forgotten ) the hard times of the Depression. Only forgotten is used attributively: half-forgotten memories.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
forgetsimple
-
forgetssimple
-
have forgottenperfect
-
has forgottenperfect
-
am forgettingprogressive
-
are forgettingprogressive
-
is forgettingprogressive
-
have been forgettingperfect progressive
-
has been forgettingperfect progressive
Past
-
forgatsimple
-
forgotsimple
-
had forgottenperfect
-
was forgettingprogressive
-
were forgettingprogressive
-
had been forgettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forget
First recorded before 900; for- + get; replacing Middle English foryeten, Old English forg(i)etan; cognate with Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan
Explanation
When you forget something, you can't recall or remember it. An actor who forgets his lines might need some helpful cues from the other actors on stage. You might forget on online password, or forget to return your library books. You can also deliberately forget something: "I've decided to forget about becoming rich and famous and focus on what I like to do." When you accidentally leave something behind, like your umbrella, you also forget it. The Old English root of forget is forgietan, "fail to remember or neglect inadvertently."
Vocabulary lists containing forget
"The Lotus Seed"
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!
Chiasmus from Top AP English Exam Novels
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!
"The Forgotten Treasure" and "There Is No Word for Goodbye"
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:
And let’s not forget the influencers who flood our social-media feeds with tantalizing sign-up bonuses that will, they suggest in breathless posts, turn you into a jet-setter like them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He sets so many plots in motion that you can’t help wishing he might forget about one or two of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"And just like with any miracle... you just can't forget about it, because it's simply impossible to forget," he added, gazing up at the Virgin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Antonelli's team-mate George Russell, meanwhile, had another day to forget.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
As they were singing, I found I could lose myself completely in the music, that I could forget all the dreadful things that were going on in the world.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
That is, until Tom forgets his jacket inside the bookstore.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Olympic hockey team’s win over the Soviets in 1980—is a triumph tattooed on the national memory, though the memory frequently forgets that the game wasn’t shown until three hours after the puck dropped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"The system forgets you; that is the beauty of it," says Anadol.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
But Quinta probably breaks the most because … she genuinely forgets about some of the jokes that she writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
She said a big brother has to know how to change diapers in case his mom forgets.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
But when Richard Cameron began to speak, I easily forgat everything else.
From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
But both pope & prince forgat in the meane while, that Boni pastoris est tondere pecus non excoriare.
From Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (6 of 12) Richard the First by Holinshed, Raphael
But the blood cried against them from the ground, and the Gods forgat them not.
From Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Church, Alfred John
Truly, I forgat the same at that time; and now I have not the money to mine hand.
From In Convent Walls The Story of the Despensers by Irwin, M. (Madelaine)
Yet he forgat not, father as he was Of these, his absent eldest, whom he mourn’d 30 Ceaseless, and thus his speech, weeping, began.
From The Odyssey of Homer by Cowper, William
That will help you realize things like this faucet doesn’t get hot water or I forgot to put an ice cream scoop in the kitchen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It’s an underrated, retro way to discover songs you’ve never heard, songs by artists you love, and songs by artists you forgot you love.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
"They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“In the office, we actually get really bummed when we realize we’re having a conversation and we forgot to turn on Granola,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Lord, I got so caught up in hearing about Alfred, I forgot I had something important to tell you, Eben.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
As Amicus delved into popular constitutionalism—the process by which ordinary people shape constitutional meaning—we came across Lyle Cherneff’s work on a largely forgotten American story that captures the concept in action.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Colts haven’t forgotten what happened in their final game of 2025, a 35-33 state playoff loss to Delano Kennedy in which the Colts’ offensive and defensive lines were outplayed throughout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Agyarko may have reached the world stage but he has not forgotten his roots.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The ensemble, a stylistic laboratory, essentially revived the forgotten French Baroque repertoire when launched by William Christie in France in 1979.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She said that it used to upset her grandma to be reminded of the things she’d forgotten, so Gabi didn’t.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Whereas the poem ends with order restored, the film leaves history caught in an endless cycle of collapse, rebirth and forgetting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
But giving this absolute unit a wide berth has become more challenging as his viral fame grows, because humans keep crowding Neil, getting dangerously close and perhaps forgetting that he is a wild animal.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Setting and forgetting your student-loan payments could soon give you a big discount.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
But there is no forgetting the star of the show.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Nice to meet you, by the way. Which coven are you hoping to be placed in?” whispered Thorn, almost immediately forgetting her locked mouth.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
