forgive

Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (“to forgive, to give”), 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”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fər-gĭv', fôr-gĭv', IPA^(key): /fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/, /fɔː(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɚˈɡɪv/

• Audio (California):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪv

forgive (third-person singular simple present forgives, present participle forgiving, simple past forgave, past participle forgiven)

1. (transitive) 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.

2. (transitive) To pardon for (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.

   Forgive us our trespasses.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Prologue:

     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.

3. (transitive) 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.

4. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.
   • a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)

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

5. (transitive) To look past; to look beyond.

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

6. (transitive) To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
   • 2015, Todd in the Shadows, The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2014:

     Okay, a good hook forgives everything.

• forgivable
• forgive and forget
• forgive but don't forget
• forgiveness
• forgiver
• forgiveworthy

• “forgive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “forgive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.