forgive

forgive — verb

1. to decide that you will release the anger you feel toward someone who has done y

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to decide that you will release the anger you feel toward someone who has done you wrong and will no longer think badly of them because of it

Example

Eshe forgave her brother for losing her camera after he bought her a new one.

forgive + person + for + -ing form

The shopkeeper forgave Tamar for the short payment and told her to come back later.

Common collocations
  • forgive someone for something
  • forgive yourself
  • forgive a mistake
  • forgive an offense
  • forgive a sin
Synonyms
  • pardon

    more formal, often used in legal or official contexts

  • excuse

    implies a lighter, less emotional response to a minor fault

  • let off

    informal, suggests deciding not to punish someone

Antonyms
  • blame

    to say someone is responsible for something bad

  • resent

    to continue feeling angry about something someone did

Grammar Patterns

forgive someone

forgive someone for something

forgive someone for doing something

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'for' to specify the wrongdoing: forgive someone for something. The person wronged is the grammatical subject; the person who did wrong is the direct object.

Common Mistakes

I forgave to him after he said sorry.
I forgave him after he said sorry.
'forgive' is transitive and does not take 'to' before the person.
She forgave his mistake quickly.
She forgave him for his mistake quickly.
when specifying the offense, the person is the direct object and 'for' introduces the wrongdoing.

2. indicates that someone's incorrect thought or action is so natural that they sho

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

indicates that someone's incorrect thought or action is so natural that they should not be criticised for it

Example

Anyone could be forgiven for thinking Inês was a trained chef, given how good her food was.

could be forgiven for thinking

A visitor to Oxford could be forgiven for mistaking the old library for a medieval palace.

Common collocations
  • could be forgiven for thinking
  • could be forgiven for believing
  • could be forgiven for mistaking
  • could be forgiven for assuming
Synonyms
  • understandable

    adjective that captures the same idea of reasonable error

  • excusable

    suggests the mistake deserves to be overlooked

Grammar Patterns

could be forgiven for thinking/believing/assuming

Usage Note

Almost always used in the passive construction 'could be forgiven for + -ing'. The subject is a general person (anyone, a visitor, one) rather than a specific individual.

Common Mistakes

You forgive for thinking the price was too high.
You could be forgiven for thinking the price was too high.
this sense requires the passive modal construction 'could be forgiven for'.

3. to set aside all anger about something someone has done and restore a good relat

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to set aside all anger about something someone has done and restore a good relationship with them, putting the disagreement entirely in the past

Example

Ravindra forgave his cousin for missing the airport pickup, and their friendship grew stronger.

Eve decided to forgive and forget rather than let the quarrel ruin the family dinner.

idiomatic phrase: forgive and forget

Common collocations
  • forgive and forget
  • forgive each other
  • forgive someone completely
  • truly forgive
Synonyms
  • let go

    informal, emphasizes releasing negative feelings

  • make peace

    focuses on restoring harmony between people

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

forgive someone

forgive someone for something

forgive and forget

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about stopping blame or anger in general; sense 3 emphasizes fully releasing the emotional hold of the offense so that the relationship can return to how it was before.

Common Mistakes

I forgave and forgot him.
I forgave him and forgot about the incident.
'forgive and forget' is an intransitive phrase; it does not take a direct object.

4. used before asking a question or making a statement that could come across as ru

4.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

used before asking a question or making a statement that could come across as rude or direct, as a polite way to soften what you are about to say

Example

Forgive me for asking, but where did you buy that beautiful dress, Inês?

forgive me for asking

Forgive my ignorance, but what does the word 'algorithm' actually mean?

Common collocations
  • forgive me for asking
  • forgive me for saying
  • forgive my ignorance
  • forgive the interruption
Synonyms
  • pardon me

    a similar polite expression, slightly more formal

  • excuse me

    more common in everyday speech for the same function

Grammar Patterns

forgive me

forgive me for asking/saying

forgive my ignorance

Usage Note

Always used in imperative form ('Forgive me…') or first-person expressions. It does not express actual forgiveness — it is a social politeness marker, similar to 'Excuse me' or 'Pardon me'.

Common Mistakes

Forgive me to ask, but are you married?
Forgive me for asking, but are you married?
after 'forgive me', use 'for' with a gerund, not 'to' with an infinitive.

5. to formally cancel a financial obligation so that the borrower is no longer requ

5.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to formally cancel a financial obligation so that the borrower is no longer required to repay what they owe

Example

The bank forgave Vinícius half of his student loan after he lost his job.

forgive + financial noun: forgive a loan

The charity forgave all debts for families whose homes were destroyed in the flood.

Common collocations
  • forgive a debt
  • forgive a loan
  • forgive interest
  • forgive a payment
  • forgive the remaining balance
Synonyms
  • write off

    common alternative in business and finance

  • cancel

    emphasizes that the debt no longer exists as a legal obligation

  • waive

    often used for fees or charges rather than debts

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

forgive a debt

forgive a loan

be forgiven a debt

Usage Note

The subject is usually an institution (bank, government, charity) or a person who lent the money. The direct object names the financial obligation (debt, loan, payment), not the person — though 'forgive someone a debt' is also possible.

Common Mistakes

The bank forgave him after the accident.
The bank forgave his debt after the accident.
in financial contexts, the debt itself must be specified; omitting it creates confusion with sense 1.
Idioms

somebody could/might be forgiven for doing something

idiom

It is understandable if someone mistakenly thinks or does something, even though it is not correct.

Seeing the dark clouds, you could be forgiven for thinking it will rain.

Might we be forgiven for assuming the meeting was canceled?

forgive and forget

idiom

To stop being angry about something bad that happened and act as if it never happened.

After the argument, Sara decided to forgive and forget.

Is it always possible to forgive and forget a serious betrayal?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve releasing someone from blame or punishment, but they differ in weight and context. 'Forgive' is the most general and personal — you forgive a friend who let you down, and it usually involves an emotional release of anger or resentment. 'Pardon' is more formal and often legal: a president pardons a criminal, or a judge pardons an offence. In everyday speech, 'pardon me' is a polite expression, not true forgiveness. 'Excuse' is lighter still — you excuse someone for being late or for a small mistake, without the emotional depth of forgiving. 'Absolve' carries religious or moral weight: a priest absolves a person of sin in confession. In casual use, choose 'forgive' for personal relationships, 'pardon' for official/legal contexts, 'excuse' for minor faults, and 'absolve' for formal or spiritual situations. For example: 'She forgave her friend for lying', 'The governor pardoned the prisoner', 'Please excuse my handwriting', 'The priest absolved him of his sins'.

forgive ↗pardon ↗excuse ↗absolve

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From Old English 'forgiefan' meaning 'to give, grant, pardon', made up of 'for-' (meaning 'away, completely') and 'giefan' (meaning 'to give'). The original idea was 'to give away or give up' — to give up one's right to punish or demand repayment. Related words in other Germanic languages include German 'vergeben' and Dutch 'vergeven', which carry the same dual meaning of 'to give away' and 'to pardon'.