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God will not forgive us if we fail.
Leonid I. Brezhnev

Meaning of "forgive" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD FORGIVE

Old English forgiefan.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF FORGIVE

forgive  [fəˈɡɪv] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FORGIVE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Forgive is a verb.
The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb forgive in English.

WHAT DOES FORGIVE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

forgive

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. Forgiveness is different from condoning, excusing, pardoning, forgetting, and reconciliation. In certain contexts, forgiveness is a legal term for absolving or giving up all claims on account of debt, loan, obligation or other claims. As a psychological concept and virtue, the benefits of forgiveness have been explored in religious thought, the social sciences and medicine. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives including forgiving themselves, in terms of the person forgiven or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In most contexts, forgiveness is granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender. In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, an apology, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe himself able to forgive.

Definition of forgive in the English dictionary

The first definition of forgive in the dictionary is to cease to blame or hold resentment against. Other definition of forgive is to grant pardon for. Forgive is also to free or pardon from penalty.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO FORGIVE

PRESENT

Present
I forgive
you forgive
he/she/it forgives
we forgive
you forgive
they forgive
Present continuous
I am forgiving
you are forgiving
he/she/it is forgiving
we are forgiving
you are forgiving
they are forgiving
Present perfect
I have forgiven
you have forgiven
he/she/it has forgiven
we have forgiven
you have forgiven
they have forgiven
Present perfect continuous
I have been forgiving
you have been forgiving
he/she/it has been forgiving
we have been forgiving
you have been forgiving
they have been forgiving
Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past
I forgave
you forgave
he/she/it forgave
we forgave
you forgave
they forgave
Past continuous
I was forgiving
you were forgiving
he/she/it was forgiving
we were forgiving
you were forgiving
they were forgiving
Past perfect
I had forgiven
you had forgiven
he/she/it had forgiven
we had forgiven
you had forgiven
they had forgiven
Past perfect continuous
I had been forgiving
you had been forgiving
he/she/it had been forgiving
we had been forgiving
you had been forgiving
they had been forgiving
Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future
I will forgive
you will forgive
he/she/it will forgive
we will forgive
you will forgive
they will forgive
Future continuous
I will be forgiving
you will be forgiving
he/she/it will be forgiving
we will be forgiving
you will be forgiving
they will be forgiving
Future perfect
I will have forgiven
you will have forgiven
he/she/it will have forgiven
we will have forgiven
you will have forgiven
they will have forgiven
Future perfect continuous
I will have been forgiving
you will have been forgiving
he/she/it will have been forgiving
we will have been forgiving
you will have been forgiving
they will have been forgiving
The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional
I would forgive
you would forgive
he/she/it would forgive
we would forgive
you would forgive
they would forgive
Conditional continuous
I would be forgiving
you would be forgiving
he/she/it would be forgiving
we would be forgiving
you would be forgiving
they would be forgiving
Conditional perfect
I would have forgive
you would have forgive
he/she/it would have forgive
we would have forgive
you would have forgive
they would have forgive
Conditional perfect continuous
I would have been forgiving
you would have been forgiving
he/she/it would have been forgiving
we would have been forgiving
you would have been forgiving
they would have been forgiving
Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative
you forgive
we let´s forgive
you forgive
The imperative is used to form commands or requests.
NONFINITE VERB FORMS
Infinitive
to forgive
Past participle
forgiven
Present Participle
forgiving
Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH FORGIVE


give
ɡɪv
misgive
mɪsˈɡɪv
outgive
ˌaʊtˈɡɪv
overgive
ˌəʊvəˈɡɪv
regive
riːˈɡɪv

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE FORGIVE

forgetfully
forgetfulness
forgetive
forgettable
forgetter
forgettery
forgettingly
forging
forgivable
forgivably
forgiven
forgiver
forgiving
forgivingly
forgivingness
forgo
forgoer
forgone
forgot
forgotten

WORDS THAT END LIKE FORGIVE

active
alive
alternative
archive
Argive
arrive
automotive
competitive
comprehensive
cooperative
creative
drive
effective
exclusive
executive
expensive
extensive
five
ogive
revengive

Synonyms and antonyms of forgive in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «FORGIVE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «forgive» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of forgive

Translation of «forgive» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF FORGIVE

Find out the translation of forgive to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of forgive from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «forgive» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

原谅
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

perdonar
570 millions of speakers

English

forgive
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

माफ कर दो
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

يَغْفِرُ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

прощать
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

perdoar
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ক্ষমা করা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

pardonner
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Maafkan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

verzeihen
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

許す
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

용서하다
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ngapura
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tha thứ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

மன்னிக்க
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

माफ करा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

affetmek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

perdonare
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

wybaczyć
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

пробачати
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

a ierta
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

συγχωρώ
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

vergewe
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

förlåta
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tilgi
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of forgive

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FORGIVE»

The term «forgive» is very widely used and occupies the 13.708 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
94
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «forgive» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of forgive
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «forgive».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «FORGIVE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «forgive» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «forgive» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about forgive

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «FORGIVE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word forgive.
1
Eddie Albert
You can forgive yourself a great deal.
2
Odette Annable
I like second chances. I've given people second chances. You have fall-outs with friends, and forgiveness is a great thing to have. It's not easy to forgive. I definitely don't forget, but I do forgive.
3
Arthur Balfour
I never forgive, but I always forget.
4
Orlando Aloysius Battista
One of the most lasting pleasures you can experience is the feeling that comes over you when you genuinely forgive an enemy - whether he knows it or not.
5
Sean Brady
May God forgive us for the times when we as individuals and as a Church failed to seek out and care for those little ones who were frightened, alone and in pain because someone was abusing them. That we did not always respond to your cries with the concern of the Good Shepherd is a matter of deep shame.
6
Leonid I. Brezhnev
God will not forgive us if we fail.
7
Jessie Cave
People suit their star sign. If someone is annoying me over and over, and I know they're a Sagittarius, say, I'm more likely to forgive them. It comes down to my need for structure as a way of finding my bearings with people.
8
Alexander Chase
To understand is to forgive, even oneself.
9
Bill Cosby
People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on.
10
Jane Fonda
The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgiving them allows you to forgive yourself too.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FORGIVE»

Discover the use of forgive in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to forgive and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Forgive and Remember: Managing Medical Failure, 2nd Edition
Now with an extensive new preface, epilogue, and appendix by the author, reflecting on the changes that have taken place since the book's original publication, this updated second edition of Charles L. Bosk's classic study is as timely as ...
Charles L. Bosk, 2011
2
Do Yourself a Favor...Forgive: Learn How to Take Control of ...
Meyer understands that life will never be fair, but that is not a reason to let anger destroy our well-being and health. This is her guide to navigating that thorny territory and finding true peace.
Joyce Meyer, 2012
3
Forgive
I then realized that there was no other person who would have the patience and ability to place all the information in book form. This is where the Holy Spirit had to come and do the leading.
Josie Massa, 2005
4
Forgive for Good
Through vivid examples (including his work with victims from both sides of Northern Ireland’s civil war), Dr. Fred Luskin offers a proven nine-step forgiveness method that makes it possible to move beyond being a victim to a life of ...
Frederic Luskin, 2010
5
How Can I Forgive You?
Dr. Spring, a gifted therapist and the award-winning author of After the Affair, proposes a radical, life-affirming alternative that lets us overcome the corrosive effects of hate and get on with our lives—without forgiving.
Janis A. Spring, 2009
6
Forgive for Love
That is, until now. This groundbreaking book from the frontiers of psychology offers startling new research about the one missing factor that is vital to relationships—forgiveness.
Frederic Luskin, 2009
7
Forgive My Fins
Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but for Lily Sanderson, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.
Tera Lynn Childs, 2011
8
As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in ...
As We Forgive Our Debtors addresses these questions with hard empirical data drawn from bankruptcy court filings.
Teresa A. Sullivan, Elizabeth Warren, Jay Lawrence Westbrook, 1999
9
Helping People Forgive
Comprehensive in scope and fully illustrated with numerous charts, graphs, case studies and parables, this book is a unique and essential resource for clergy, pastoral counselors and other helping professionals.
David W. Augsburger, 1996
10
Forgive and Love Again:
This popular book, with over 130,000 copies in print, explores the importance of healing wounded relationships in a variety of settings: family, extended family, friendships, and workplace.
John W. Nieder, Dr. Thomas M. Thompson, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FORGIVE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term forgive is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Is There Someone You Need to Forgive? - The Christian Post
But what about when we have someone to forgive? Paul reminds us ... When you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free: yourself! Copyright ... «Christian Post, Jul 15»
2
Ariana Grande's Brother Frankie Weighs In On 'Donutgate': 'We …
Ariana Grande's Brother Frankie Weighs In On 'Donutgate': 'We Forgive You'. Ariana Grande with brother Frankie. Most folks are ... «The Inquisitr, Jul 15»
3
Forgive me, Quad-Cities - Quad-City Times
I hope those who I victimized can find it in their heart to forgive me for what I did. I have children now, and one of the ways I have tried to make ... «Quad City Times, Jul 15»
4
I believe CNN just coined Trumpgasm & I will never forgive them for it
The one presidential candidate that the media would very much like to ignore — but simply can't — is the brash, outspoken Republican Donald ... «BizPac Review, Jul 15»
5
Plan would forgive farmers' student loans - Pal-Item
WASHINGTON – Kindsey Pierce hopes to grow her Tipton County farm from 75 sheep to more than 300. But doing that, while paying off her ... «Richmond, Jul 15»
6
Letter: God, not outsiders, can help heal and forgive
Go ahead and take down the Confederate flag and put it in a museum. But when you do, remember those brave young men and boys who died ... «Greenville News, Jul 15»
7
DeAndre Jordan -- Apologizes to Mark Cuban ... Please Forgive Me …
0710_deandre_jordan_mark_cuban_tmz DeAndre Jordan knows it's not good to have a billionaire enemy -- and is begging Mark Cuban for ... «TMZ.com, Jul 15»
8
Rhonda Swan: Why It's OK to Forgive Dylann Roof - Sun Sentinel
Such questions reveal a common misunderstanding about the meaning of forgiveness. To forgive is not to condone. It doesn't let an offender off ... «Sun Sentinel, Jul 15»
9
Forgive church, pope asks Bolivia's natives
Forgive church, pope asks Bolivia's natives. By NICOLE WINFIELD and FRANK BAJAK The Associated Press. Posted: July 10, 2015 at 3:29 ... «NWAOnline, Jul 15»
10
Fans forgive Ariana Grande by trending #WeForgiveYouAriana on …
Fans forgive Ariana Grande by trending #WeForgiveYouAriana on Twitter. ANI | New delhi. July 10, 2015 Last Updated at 12:58 IST. My Page. Related News. «Business Standard, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Forgive [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/forgive>. May 2024 ».
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