forgive
gb/fɚɡˈɪv/ us/fɚɡˈɪv/
B1
English
~ 1900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Stop being angry at someone
To stop being angry at someone because of something wrong they did.
Usage pattern:
to forgive [someone] for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'forgive' with 'excuse'. 'Forgive' is about letting go of anger, while 'excuse' is about explaining or justifying an action.
Synonyms
pardon (More formal; often used in legal or official contexts.)
|
absolve (Formal; emphasizes freeing from guilt or blame.)
Antonyms
blame (To hold someone responsible in a negative way.)
|
resent (To continue feeling anger or bitterness toward someone.)
Collocations
forgive someone for
|hard to forgive
|learn to forgive
|forgive and forget
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I forgave him for forgetting my birthday.
- She eventually forgave her friend after their argument.
- It’s hard to forgive someone who has lied to you repeatedly.
- They forgave each other and moved on.
- I can’t forgive you for what you did.
Learner examples
- I forgive you for being late.
- She forgave her brother after he said sorry.
- He forgave his friend for the mistake.
- They forgave each other after the fight.
Verb
B2
action
2
Stop blaming yourself
To stop feeling bad about something wrong you did.
Usage pattern:
to forgive oneself for [something]
Synonyms
absolve oneself (Formal; emphasizes freeing oneself from guilt.)
Antonyms
punish oneself (To continue blaming or being hard on oneself.)
Collocations
forgive yourself for
|learn to forgive yourself
Themes
emotions
|self-help
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It took years for him to forgive himself for the accident.
- You need to forgive yourself and move forward.
- She finally forgave herself for quitting the job.
Learner examples
- I must forgive myself for my mistake.
- He forgave himself after saying sorry.
- She learned to forgive herself for failing the test.
Verb
B1
action
3
Excuse a minor fault or interruption
A polite way to ask someone not to mind a small mistake or interruption.
Usage pattern:
'Forgive me' or 'forgive [something]' in polite speech
Synonyms
excuse (More common in this polite context; interchangeable in many cases.)
Collocations
forgive my interruption
|forgive me for asking
Themes
politeness
|daily life
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Forgive my ignorance, but could you explain that term?
- Forgive me for interrupting, but I have an urgent question.
- Please forgive the mess; I wasn’t expecting guests.
Learner examples
- Forgive me for being late.
- Forgive my bad English.
- Forgive me, I need to go now.
Grammar
Dictionary form
forgive
IPA
GB/fɚɡˈɪv/
US/fɚɡˈɪv/
Syllables & stress
for - give (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (for)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: forgive
- 3rd Person Singular: forgives
- Present Participle: forgiving
- Past: forgave
- Past Participle: forgiven
Word family
Forms
forgives
verb
forgiving
verb
forgave
verb
forgiven
verb
Core family
forgiveness
noun B1
Related words
forgivable
adjective
forgivingly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unforgivable
adjective
unforgiving
adjective
Advanced or less common
unforgivably
adverb
Highlights
- Irregular past: forgave Verb
- Irregular past participle: forgiven Verb
Expressions
forgive me for saying so
1/fɚɡˈɪv mˈi fɚ sˈeɪɪŋ sˈoʊ/
fixed phrase
Polite disclaimer before possibly offensive comment
A polite way to say something that might upset someone.
Examples
- Forgive me for saying so, but I think you’re wrong.
- Forgive me for saying so, but that idea might not work.
God forgives
1/ɡˈɑd fɚɡˈɪvz/
fixed phrase
God stops being angry at wrongdoing
A phrase meaning that God does not stay angry at people who do wrong if they are sorry.
Examples
- Don’t worry, God forgives those who repent.
- They believe God forgives all sins.
forgive and forget
1/fɚɡˈɪv ˈænd fɚɡˈɛt/
idiom
Let go of anger and memory of wrongs
To stop being angry about something and not think about it anymore.
Examples
- It's time to forgive and forget if we want peace.
- They decided to forgive and forget after their disagreement.
- They finally decided to forgive and forget after years of arguing.
- It’s best to forgive and forget so you can move on.