Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.
- v. To renounce anger or resentment against.
- v. To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).
- v. To accord forgiveness.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To give up; resign.
- To give; grant.
- To grant free pardon for or remission of, as a wrongful act or an obligation; give up all claims for or on account of: sometimes with the thing forgiven as direct objective (accusative), preceded by the person as indirect objective (dative): as, to forgive an injury; to forgive a person his debts.
- To grant free pardon to; cease to blame or feel resentment against; restore to good will.
- Synonyms To pass over, overlook.
- Pardon, Forgive (see pardon); to excuse, let off.
- To exercise forgiveness; be lenient or forgiving.
Wiktionary
- v. To pardon, to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment.
- v. To accord forgiveness.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to resign.
- v. To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon; -- said in reference to the act forgiven.
- v. To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong committed; to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; -- said of the person offending.
WordNet 3.0
- v. absolve from payment
- v. stop blaming or grant forgiveness
Etymologies
- Middle English forgiven, from Old English forgiefan; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Her eyesshe knew meshe smiledshe whisperedforgive me, Curt, forgive herwhen it was I who should have said forgive mebut before I couldshe [He falters brokenly.] 166”
“Charity came with such power that her commands actually overruled in many instances the feeble claims of Justice, so that she bade men henceforward to forgive, for example, not merely according to Justice, but according to her own Divine nature, to _forgive unto seventy times seven_, to give _good measure, heaped up and running over_, and not the bare minimum which men had merely earned.”
“When you really look at the word "forgive" it means: to stop feeling angry or resentful toward.”
The Huffington Post: Jennifer Lauck: Forgive the Unforgivable. How?
“To forgive is good, of course to do that he would have to admit he was wrong.”
“The only cheater I am willing to forgive is Eliot Spitzer (of course I'm not married to him) – he was energetic, driven, strong and very smart!”
“To forgive is the ultimate grace and is in the best tradition of Jesus who taught to turn the other cheek.”
Think Progress » Van Jones to Glenn Beck: ‘I see you, and I love you, brother.’ (Updated)
“What they will not forgive is a ‘perfect’ book, but the story falls flat.”
“In an ancient tale from the Kaballah, God told some angels in training that the capacity to forgive is the most excellent gift in the human experience, more essential to the continuity of life than the courage to sacrifice your own life for someone else or enduring the pain of giving life.”
The Huffington Post: Wendy Strgar: The Truth About Forgiveness
“In Sicily it doesn't matter about doing things well or badly; the sin which we Sicilians never forgive is simply that of' doing 'at all ... novelties attract us only when they are dead, incapable of arousing vital currents.”
“The one thing I cannot forgive is Hillary's 3 a.m. "commercial.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘forgive’.
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Words Associated With Jesus
Words that indentify Jesus and His Salvation to those who seek Him.
hope, grace, love, faith, salvation, truth, eternity, heaven, god, holy spirit, bible, scripture and 191 more...
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Words Heard Too Often In Songs
Words overused in modern pop music.
Also see ruzuzu's list: Words that should be heard in songs more often.love, heart, dance, dancefloor, down, take, want, night, fight, baby, like, ooooh and 135 more...
lampbane Giles: "To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it."
Sep 12, 2008