forgave
fər-ˈgāv 
fȯr-
; forgiven
fər-ˈgi-vən
fȯr-
; forgiving
1
: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon
forgive one's enemies
2
a
: to give up resentment of or claim to requital (see requital sense 1) for
forgive an insult
b
: to grant relief from payment of
forgive a debt
: to grant forgiveness
had to learn to forgive and forget
Examples of forgive in a Sentence
Can you ever forgive me for being so selfish?
I've never forgiven myself for the way I treated her.
We must ask God to forgive us for our sins.
When he feels he's been insulted, he finds it hard to forgive and forget.
He finds it hard to forgive an insult.
We must ask God to forgive our sins.
The government has agreed to forgive some of the debt.
Recent Examples on the Web
The victim, who was not named, is still recovering and learning to trust but forgives the family in an act of faith, the statement said.
—
Amy Taxin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
President Joe Biden, who has forgiven more education debt than any other president in U.S history, said that the number of borrowers to benefit from the program under his administration now exceeded 1 million.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024
Critics of the moves to forgive student debt include Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024
Not that this would lead to her forgiving him, of course.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for forgive 
Amy Taxin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
President Joe Biden, who has forgiven more education debt than any other president in U.S history, said that the number of borrowers to benefit from the program under his administration now exceeded 1 million.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024
Critics of the moves to forgive student debt include Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024
Not that this would lead to her forgiving him, of course.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for forgive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forgive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near forgive
Cite this Entry
“Forgive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
forgive
verb
for·give
fər-ˈgiv
fȯr-
1
a
: to give up resentment of or claim to revenge for
forgive an insult
b
: to stop requiring payment of
forgive a debt
2
: to stop feeling anger toward (an offender)
forgive your enemies
forgiver
noun
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