forgive
verbUK /fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ · US /fɚˈɡɪv/
Etymology Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (“to forgive, to give”), from Proto-West Germanic *frageban, from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- + give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”), Yiddish פֿאַרגעבן (fargebn, “to forgive”)
To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
- Please forgive me if my phone goes off - I'm expecting an urgent call from my boss.
- Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.
1 more example
- Forgive us our trespasses.
To pardon (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.
- Forgive these wild and wandering cries, Confusions of a wasted youth; Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Prologue”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
- ... to forgive their crimes.2021 April 27, Zachary Schrag, The Princeton Guide to Historical Research, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 30:
1 more example
- What? Are we all just supposed to forgive this? This guy messed up in the worst possible way he could! Now we have nothing!2026 June 19, Gooseworx, “Remember” (1:19 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 9, spoken by Jax (Michael Kovach):
To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.
- Forgive a debt, that is, tell a debtor that a repayment of a loan is no longer needed.
- In several months you’re likely to have a clearer picture on how your state intends to treat your forgiven PPP loan and the deductibility of your business expenses not just for tax year 2020 but also tax year 2021.2021 February 23, Jeanne Sahadi, “So you got a PPP loan? Here’s what that means for your state taxes”, in CNN Business:
To accord forgiveness.
- The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)
To look past; to look beyond.
- The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.
To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
- Okay, a good hook forgives everything.2015, Todd in the Shadows, The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2014: