forgive

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   absolve from payment

   I forgive you your debt

2. 2
   verb

   To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.

   Please forgive me if my phone goes off - I'm expecting an urgent call from my boss.

3. 3
   verb

   To pardon (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.

   Forgive these wild and wandering cries, ⁠Confusions of a wasted youth; ⁠Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise.

4. 4
   verb

   To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.

   Forgive a debt, that is, tell a debtor that a repayment of a loan is no longer needed.

5. 5
   verb

   To accord forgiveness.

   The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.

6. 6
   verb

   To look past; to look beyond.

   The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.

7. 7
   verb

   To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.

   Okay, a good hook forgives everything.

8. 8
   verb

   stop blaming or grant forgiveness

Etymology

Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (“to forgive, to give”), from Proto-West Germanic *frageban, from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- + give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”), Yiddish פֿאַרגעבן (fargebn, “to forgive”)