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 worker, who the museum said was covering for the regular technician, could perhaps be forgiven their error given the fact that the beer cans were displayed in a glass lift shaft, as though they were left behind by construction workers.
—
Jack Guy, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected.
—Adriana Morga, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Initially, a federal judge in Georgia allowed a temporary restraining order on the program which aims to forgive loans for over 25 million Americans to expire, giving the Education Department the go-ahead to move forward.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 4 Oct. 2024
Never forgiving toward its subjects, the origin story is a fascinating character study of one of the most polarizing figures of our time and the man who made him.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for forgive 
Jack Guy, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected.
—Adriana Morga, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Initially, a federal judge in Georgia allowed a temporary restraining order on the program which aims to forgive loans for over 25 million Americans to expire, giving the Education Department the go-ahead to move forward.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 4 Oct. 2024
Never forgiving toward its subjects, the origin story is a fascinating character study of one of the most polarizing figures of our time and the man who made him.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 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 18 Oct. 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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