forgive

verb

fur-GIV/fɚˈɡɪv/UKfuh-GIV/fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/

Formsforgives, forgiving, forgave, forgiven

6 meanings of forgive

1
verbtransitive
To pardon someone, letting go of anger toward them and any wish to see them punished.
The victim's family chose to forgive the man who caused the accident.
He forgave his old rival after years of bitterness between them.
Similarpardon, absolve, excuse
Oppositeblame, condemn, resent
2
verbtransitive
To pardon an offense or wrong, giving up any anger over it or wish for retribution.
They agreed to forgive the insult for the sake of peace.
She could never quite forgive the betrayal that ended their friendship.
Similarpardon, excuse, overlook, condone
Oppositeresent, avenge
3
verbintransitive
To grant pardon; to let go of resentment rather than hold onto it.
Learning to forgive can free a person from years of resentment.
He struggled to forgive, even when he knew he should.
4
verbtransitive
To waive or remit a debt, releasing someone from the obligation to pay or compensate.
The program will forgive student loans for teachers after ten years of service.
The lender forgave the remaining balance as a goodwill gesture.
Similarcancel, waive, remit
5
verbtransitive
To overlook something; to look beyond a fault or shortcoming.
Forgive the dust. We only moved in last week.
Critics forgave the film's flaws given how ambitious it was.
Similarexcuse, pardon, overlook, ignore, disregard
6
verbtransitive
To redeem something, offsetting or making up for its bad effects.
The car's comfort forgives its sluggish acceleration.
A warm welcome can forgive many small mistakes in a meal.
Similaroffset, redeem, outweigh

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English 'foryiven', from Old English 'forġiefan' ('to forgive, to give'), from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną ('to give away; release; forgive'). It is essentially 'for-' plus 'give', and is related to Dutch 'vergeven' and German 'vergeben' ('to forgive').