forgive

The word “forgive” means to stop feeling angry at someone and let go of blame for what they did. In plain terms, to let go of anger or blame toward someone, or to cancel a debt.

“Forgive” is pronounced fuh-GIHV (/fɚˈɡɪv/ in IPA).

Here is “forgive” used in a sentence: “He asked his friend to forgive him for the misunderstanding.”

“Forgive” is a verb.

The word “forgive” comes from Old English. From Old English forġiefan, literally "to give up (a grievance)" — for- + give.

“Forgive” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Forgive” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to stop feeling angry at someone and let go of blame for what they did.

To "forgive" means to stop feeling angry at someone and let go of blame for what they did. To "forget" means to no longer remember something. You can forgive someone while still remembering what happened, which is why the phrase "forgive and forget" treats them as two separate steps.

To "forgive" is to release your anger and blame after a genuine wrong has been done. To "excuse" is to judge that the behaviour was not really blameworthy, or to overlook a minor fault. Forgiving acknowledges the wrong; excusing tends to downplay it.

In everyday use both mean to release someone from blame, and they overlap closely. "Pardon" also has a formal legal meaning, referring to an official act that cancels a punishment, whereas "forgive" describes a personal, emotional release of blame. "Forgive" can additionally mean to cancel a debt someone owes.

The usual pattern is "forgive someone for something," as in "she forgave him for the mistake." A slightly more formal pattern is "forgive someone something," as in "forgive us our debts." The person is the direct object and the offence follows "for."