A ActivateWords

Dictionary / forgive

forgive

/fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)/fɔː(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)/fɚˈɡɪv/ (General-American)
  • verb
  • from Old English

To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.

▶ Play the mastery game

1 All current definitions

Every sense of “forgive” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

verb

  1. transitiveTo 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.

  2. transitiveTo 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:

  3. transitiveTo 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.

  4. intransitiveTo 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)

  5. transitiveTo look past; to look beyond.

    The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.

  6. transitiveTo 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:

Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
  1. verbstop blaming or grant forgiveness
  2. verbabsolve from payment
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)forgive
  2. Old Englishforġiefan “to forgive, to give”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*frageban
  4. Proto-Germanic*fragebaną “to give away; give up; release; forgive”

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”)

Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “forgive”

forgivabilityforgivableforgivelessforgivenessforgiverforgivingmisforgivereforgiveunforgiveunforgiver

Phrases & compounds

forgive and forgetforgive but don't forgetforgive my French
Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “forgive” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “forgive” came from before it was English.

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English forġiefan “to forgive, to give”
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic *fragebaną “to give away; give up; release; forgive”
Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Germanic root
“to give away; give up; release; forgive”
Proto-Germanic *fragebaną — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

forgive v. t. [OE. forgiven, foryiven, foryeven, AS. forgiefan, forgifan; perh. for- + giefan, gifan to give; cf. D. vergeven, G. vergeben, Icel. fyrirgefa, Sw. f, Goth. fragiban to give, grant. See For-, and Give, v. t.]

  1. To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to resign.
  2. To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon; -- said in reference to the act forgiven.
  3. To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong committed; to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; -- said of the person offending.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

verbMeaning: 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.

verbMeaning: 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:

verbMeaning: 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:

verbMeaning: 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)

verbMeaning: To look past; to look beyond.

The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.

verbMeaning: 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:

verbMeaning: stop blaming or grant forgiveness

She cannot forgive him for forgetting her birthday

verbMeaning: absolve from payment

I forgive you your debt

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “forgive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 10

Say it, then spell it

forgive

/fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

forgive

/fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ · verb

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “forgive” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (verb) To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
2. (verb) To pardon (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.
3. (verb) To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.
4. (verb) To accord forgiveness.
5. (verb) To look past; to look beyond.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Please forgive me if my phone goes off - I'm expecting an urgent call from my boss.”

A. To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
B. To look past; to look beyond.
C. To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.

Circle the meaning used.

“Forgive a debt, that is, tell a debtor that a repayment of a loan is no longer needed.”

A. To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
B. To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.
C. To accord forgiveness.

Circle the meaning used.

“The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.”

A. To accord forgiveness.
B. To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
C. To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “forgive” come into English from?   A. New Latin  B. Anglo-Norman  C. Middle French  D. Old English

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “forgive” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Germanic *fragebaną. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “forgive” to mean: To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
Write a sentence using “forgive” to mean: To pardon (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.
Write a sentence using “forgive” to mean: To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — forgive

Which meaning, sentence 1: C. To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.

Which meaning, sentence 2: B. To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.

Which meaning, sentence 3: A. To accord forgiveness.

Origin: D. Old English (Old English forġiefan)

Journey: English forgive ← Old English forġiefan ← Proto-West Germanic *frageban ← Proto-Germanic *fragebaną

Some derivatives: forgivability, forgivable, forgiveless, forgiveness, forgiver, forgiving, misforgive, reforgive

Original meaning: Proto-Germanic *fragebaną — “to give away; give up; release; forgive”

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”)

Sources: Wiktionary “forgive” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forgive#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/forgive