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
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forgivesimple
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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
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had forgivenperfect
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was forgivingprogressive
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were forgivingprogressive
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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:
Now, however, I am a senior citizen who can look at events with the benefit of perspective and hindsight, and thus I have decided to forgive Don Nelson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to "forgive" protesters who abused him during recent youth-led demonstrations that dealt a rare political setback to his government.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Software stocks and loans have started to find their footing in July, suggesting it may be time for investors to forgive and forget.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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
The French had suffered a humiliating defeat in their war with Germany in 1870–71, when France was forced to surrender the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, a loss that France could neither forgive nor forget.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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
In their final exchange, Serena apologizes for what she’s done and June forgives her.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025
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
And it struck me, too, that no one 'Curtis Bok, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, speech at Radcliffe College Commencement, 1960. there forgets, no one there forgives.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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
In each instance, despite her pain, Davis forgave him, trusting in the underlying strength of their bond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 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
Grandma India stood silent by my side as I fed the flame and spoke their names and forgave them.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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 can be forgiven for thinking you won’t need to learn much about the new guy in No 10.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
You could be forgiven for thinking Christopher Nolan doesn’t give much thought to what the audience wants.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
If you'd closed your eyes you'd have been forgiven for thinking Kermit the Frog was answering BBC reporter Kelly Somers' questions.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Einar, though, had never forgiven himself; he lived in self-imposed shame and stayed mostly silent.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
She said the camp teaches children about forgiveness, so she and her husband put that lesson into practice by forgiving the people who took the trailer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 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
Frozen puff pastry is wonderfully forgiving, provided you remember that butter prefers to stay cool.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
While England did benefit from some fixtures being played in air-conditioned stadiums with roofs, such as in Atlanta against DR Congo, other conditions were less forgiving.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
She shook her head, an imperceptible, forgiving shrug.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
