Alteration (due togive) ofMiddle Englishforyiven,forȝiven, fromOld Englishforġiefan(“to forgive, to give”), fromProto-West Germanic*frageban, fromProto-Germanic*fragebaną(“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent tofor- +‎give (etymologicallyfor- +yive). Cognate withScotsforgeve,forgif,forgie(“to forgive”),West Frisianferjaan(“to forgive”),Dutchvergeven(“to forgive”),Germanvergeben(“to forgive”),Icelandicfyrirgefa(“to forgive”).

• (Received Pronunciation)enPR:fər-gĭv', fôr-gĭv',IPA^(key):/fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/,/fɔː(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/
• (General American)IPA^(key):/fɚˈɡɪv/

• Audio(California):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɪv

forgive (third-person singular simple presentforgives,present participleforgiving,simple pastforgave,past participleforgiven)

1. (transitive) Topardon (someone); towaive anynegativefeeling towards ordesire forpunishment orretribution against.

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

   Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.

2. (transitive) Topardon for (something); towaive anynegativefeeling over orretribution for.

   Forgive us our trespasses.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson],In Memoriam, London:Edward Moxon, […],→OCLC, Prologue:

     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.

3. (transitive) Towaive orremit (a debt), toabsolve frompayment orcompensation of.

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

   • 2021 February 23, Jeanne Sahadi, “So you got a PPP loan? Here’s what that means for your state taxes”, inCNN Business‎^[1]:

     In several months you’re likely to have a clearer picture on how your state intends to treat yourforgiven PPP loan and the deductibility of your business expenses not just for tax year 2020 but also tax year 2021.

4. (intransitive) Toaccordforgiveness.
   • a. 1768,Laurence Sterne,Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)

     The brave know only how to forgive[…]A coward neverforgave; it is not in his nature.

5. (transitive) Tolook past; to look beyond.

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

6. (transitive) Toredeem; tooffset the bad effects of something.
   • 2015, Todd in the Shadows,The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2014:

     Okay, a good hookforgives everything.

• William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “forgive”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.
• “forgive”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.