forgive
English · Thesaurus
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forgive
- /fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ UK
- /fɔː(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/ UK
- /fɚˈɡɪv/ US
Rhymes with -ɪv
Where it comes from
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”)
verb forgives · forgiving · forgave · forgiven
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- To accord forgiveness. The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pardoned, excuse, condone, forgiveness, pardon, apologize, sorry, tolerate, waive, forbid, rescind, revoke, annul, deregister, forget, spare
Translations
Every language
verb (''transitive'') to pardon
| Español | disculpar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 용서하다 yongseohada |
| 日本語 | 許す yurusu, 容赦する yōsha suru |
| 中文 | 原諒 /原谅 yuánliàng, 寬恕 /宽恕 kuānshù, 饒恕 /饶恕 ráoshù |
| हिन्दी | माफ़ करना māf karnā, क्षमा करना kṣamā karnā, मुआफ़ करना muāf karnā |
| Kiswahili | -samehe |
| Português | perdoar, desculpar |
| Français | pardonner |
| Deutsch | verzeihen |
| Italiano | perdonare |
| Ελληνικά | συγχωρώ synchoró |
| Română | ierta |
| Русский | проща́ть proščátʹ, прости́ть prostítʹ, извиня́ть izvinjátʹ, извини́ть izvinítʹ, миловать milovatʹ, помиловать pomilovatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | tha thứ, tha |
| العربية | سَامَحَ sāmaḥa, غَفَرَ ḡafara |
| עברית | סָלַח salákh |
Talk about this word "forgive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/forgive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. forgive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/forgive "forgive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/forgive.Cite this
@misc{forgive_2026,
title = {forgive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/forgive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
