forget

American  

[fer-get] / fərˈgɛt /

verb (used with object)

forgets, present (3rd person singular) forgot, past forgat, past forgotten, past participle forgetting present participle

1. to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall.

   to forget someone's name.

2. to omit or neglect unintentionally.

   I forgot to shut the window before leaving.

3. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take.

   to forget one's keys.

4. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

5. to fail to think of; take no note of.

6. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.

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verb (used without object)

forgets, present (3rd person singular) forgot, past forgat, past forgotten, past participle forgetting present participle

1. to cease or omit to think of something.

idioms

1. forget oneself, to say or do something improper or unbefitting one's rank, position, or character.

forget British  

/ fəˈɡɛt /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember

2. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error

3. (tr) to leave behind by mistake

4. (tr) to disregard intentionally

5. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention

6. 1. to act in an improper manner

   2. to be unselfish

   3. to be deep in thought

7. an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic

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forget More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing forget

• forgive and forget

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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

• forgetter
  noun
• forgettable
  adjective
• unforgetting
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have forgotten
  perfect
• has forgotten
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been forgetting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• forgets
  singular 3rd person
• forgetting
  participle
• am forgetting
  progressive 1st person singular
• are forgetting
  progressive
• is forgetting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been forgetting
  perfect progressive

Past

• had forgotten
  perfect
• had been forgetting
  perfect progressive
• was forgetting
  progressive singular
• were forgetting
  progressive plural
• forgot
  simple
• forgotten
  participle
• forgat
  simple

Future

• will forget
  simple
• will have forgotten
  perfect
• will be forgetting
  progressive
• will have been forgetting
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

Maybe a spoof doesn’t have to be consistently funny or ideologically progressive to be enjoyable, and anyone who demands those things should just close the door and forget what they’ve seen.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

It’s easy to forget when it’s other people’s money.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

I hope they woke the child up to see the crazy finish, because they’ll never forget it, and school is overrated, anyway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Or maybe the rousing stories of ordinary people rising up against injustice stir something within him, something so deep that it allows him to forget which side of that conflict he’s on.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

“Did you forget that we are wearing Alcatraz prison uniforms?”

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• fail
• ignore
• neglect
• overlook
• skip