forgive
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for·give
(fər-gĭv′, fôr-)v. for·gave (-gāv′), for·giv·en (-gĭv′ən), for·giv·ing, for·gives
v.tr.
1. To give up resentment against or stop wanting to punish (someone) for an offense or fault; pardon.
2. To relent in being angry or in wishing to exact punishment for (an offense or fault).
3. To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).
v.intr.
To grant forgiveness.
for·giv′a·ble adj.
for·giv′a·bly adv.
for·giv′er n.
Synonyms: forgive, pardon, excuse, condone
These verbs mean to refrain from imposing punishment on an offender or demanding satisfaction for an offense. The first three can be used as conventional ways of offering apology. More strictly, to forgive is to grant pardon without harboring resentment: "Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them" (Oscar Wilde).
Pardon more strongly implies release from the liability for or penalty entailed by an offense: After the revolution all political prisoners were pardoned.
To excuse is to pass over a mistake or fault without demanding punishment or redress: "Valencia was incredibly generous to these deadbeats. She memorized their poetry and excused their bad behavior" (David Sedaris).
To condone is to overlook an offense, usually a serious one, and often suggests tacit forgiveness: Failure to protest the policy may imply a willingness to condone it.
These verbs mean to refrain from imposing punishment on an offender or demanding satisfaction for an offense. The first three can be used as conventional ways of offering apology. More strictly, to forgive is to grant pardon without harboring resentment: "Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them" (Oscar Wilde).
Pardon more strongly implies release from the liability for or penalty entailed by an offense: After the revolution all political prisoners were pardoned.
To excuse is to pass over a mistake or fault without demanding punishment or redress: "Valencia was incredibly generous to these deadbeats. She memorized their poetry and excused their bad behavior" (David Sedaris).
To condone is to overlook an offense, usually a serious one, and often suggests tacit forgiveness: Failure to protest the policy may imply a willingness to condone it.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
forgive
(fəˈɡɪv)vb, -gives, -giving, -gave or -given
1. to cease to blame or hold resentment against (someone or something)
2. to grant pardon for (a mistake, wrongdoing, etc)
3. (tr) to free or pardon (someone) from penalty
4. (tr) to free from the obligation of (a debt, payment, etc)
[Old English forgiefan; see for-, give]
forˈgivable adj
forˈgivably adv
forˈgiver n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
for•give
(fərˈgɪv)v. -gave, -giv•en, -giv•ing. v.t.
1. to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, sin, etc.); absolve.
2. to cancel or remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3. to grant pardon to (a person).
4. to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.
v.i. 5. to pardon an offense or an offender.
[before 900; Middle English, Old English forgiefan]
for•giv′a•ble, adj.
for•giv′er, n.
syn: See excuse.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
forgive
Past participle: forgiven
Gerund: forgiving
| Imperative |
|---|
| forgive |
| forgive |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | forgive - stop blaming or grant forgiveness; "I forgave him his infidelity"; "She cannot forgive him for forgetting her birthday" condone, excuse - excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities" absolve, shrive - grant remission of a sin to; "The priest absolved him and told him to say ten Hail Mary's" remit - forgive; "God will remit their sins" pardon - grant a pardon to; "Ford pardoned Nixon"; "The Thanksgiving turkey was pardoned by the President" |
| 2. | forgive - absolve from payment; "I forgive you your debt" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
forgive
verb excuse, pardon, bear no malice towards, not hold something against, understand, acquit, condone, remit, let off (informal), turn a blind eye to, exonerate, absolve, bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones, turn a deaf ear to, accept (someone's) apology She'll understand and forgive you.
charge, blame, condemn, censure, reproach, find fault with, reprove
charge, blame, condemn, censure, reproach, find fault with, reprove
Quotations
"To err is human, to forgive, divine" [Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism]
"To err is human, to forgive, divine" [Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
forgive
verbTo grant forgiveness to or for:
Idiom: forgive and forget.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَصْفَح عن، يُسامِحيَغْفِريَغْفِرُ
odpustitprominout
tilgiveundskylde
antaa anteeksi
oprostiti
ampunmaaf
fyrirgefafyrirgefa, afsaka
許す
용서하다
atlaidumasatlaidusatleisti už
piedot
odpustiť
odpustiti
förlåta
ให้อภัย
affetmekbağışlamak
tha thứ
forgive
[fəˈgɪv] (forgave (pt) (forgiven (pp)))Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
forgive
[fərˈgɪv] [forgave] (pt) [forgiven] (pp) vt
[+ person] → pardonner à
I forgive you → Je te pardonne.
to forgive sb for doing sth → pardonner à qn d'avoir fait qch
She forgave him for forgetting her birthday → Elle lui a pardonné d'avoir oublié son anniversaire.
They could be forgiven for thinking that → On ne peut pas leur reprocher de penser que ...
to forgive sb for sth → pardonner qch à qn
I forgive you → Je te pardonne.
to forgive sb for doing sth → pardonner à qn d'avoir fait qch
She forgave him for forgetting her birthday → Elle lui a pardonné d'avoir oublié son anniversaire.
They could be forgiven for thinking that → On ne peut pas leur reprocher de penser que ...
to forgive sb for sth → pardonner qch à qn
[+ debt] → annuler
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
forgive
pret <forgave>, ptp <forgiven>vt mistake, clumsiness → verzeihen, vergeben; person → verzeihen (+dat), → vergeben (+dat); debt → erlassen; (esp Eccl) sin → vergeben, erlassen; to forgive somebody something → jdm etw verzeihen or vergeben; (Eccl) → jdm etw vergeben or erlassen; to forgive somebody for something → jdm etw verzeihen or vergeben; to forgive somebody for doing something → jdm verzeihen or vergeben, dass er etw getan hat; you could be forgiven for thinking that … → es ist durchaus verständlich, wenn Sie denken, dass …; forgive me, but … → Entschuldigung, aber …; I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to him → ich werde es mir nie verzeihen, wenn ihm etwas zustößt; to forgive and forget → vergeben und vergessen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
forgive
[fəˈgɪv] (forgave (pt) (forgiven (pp))) vt (person, fault) → perdonareto forgive sb for sth/for doing sth → perdonare qc a qn/a qn di aver fatto qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
forgive
(fəˈgiv) – past tense forgave (fəˈgeiv) : past participle forˈgiven – verb1. to stop being angry with (someone who has done something wrong). He forgave her for stealing his watch.
2. to stop being angry about (something that someone has done). He forgave her angry words.
forgiveness (fəˈgivnis) noun1. the act of forgiving. He asked for forgiveness.
2. readiness to forgive. He showed great forgiveness towards them.
forˈgiving adjective ready to forgive (often). a forgiving person.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
forgive
→ يَغْفِرُ odpustit tilgive verzeihen συγχωρώ perdonar antaa anteeksi pardonner oprostiti perdonare 許す 용서하다 vergeven tilgi wybaczyć perdoar прощать förlåta ให้อภัย bağışlamak tha thứ 原谅Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
forgive
vt. perdonar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
forgive
vt perdonarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.