forgo
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forgo
to abstain or refrain from; do without; give up; renounce; forbear; sacrifice: I’ll forgo my dinner so that the poor child can eat.
Not to be confused with:
forego – go before; to precede: forego one’s partner in death
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
for·go
also fore·go (fôr-gō′)tr.v. for·went (-wĕnt′), for·gone (-gôn′, -gŏn′), for·go·ing, for·goes
To abstain from; relinquish: unwilling to forgo dessert.
[Middle English forgon, from Old English forgān, go away, forgo : for-, for- + gān, to go; see ghē- in Indo-European roots.]
for·go′er n.
Usage Note: The verb forgo, meaning "to abstain from, do without," has forego as an acceptable variant. Thus, one can forgo or forego dessert, though the spelling without the e is far more common and is preferred in most dictionaries. Forego also exists as a separate word meaning "to go before, either in place or time," as in The essential points have been laid out in the foregoing pages. The two words have historically been spelled differently because they incorporate different prefixes: The fore- of forego is the same prefix (meaning "in front, ahead, before") found in forefather, forehead, and foreword, while the for- of forgo is akin to the for- in forget, forlorn, and forsake and usually denotes loss or removal.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
forgo
(fɔːˈɡəʊ) orforego
vb (tr) , -goes, -going, -went or -gone
1. to give up or do without
2. archaic to leave
[Old English forgān; see for-, go1]
forˈgoer, foreˈgoer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
for•go
or fore•go
(fɔrˈgoʊ)v.t. -went, -gone, -go•ing.
1. to abstain or refrain from; give up; renounce.
2. Archaic. to neglect; overlook.
3. Archaic. to quit or leave.
[before 950]
for•go′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
forgo
Past participle: forgone
Gerund: forgoing
| Imperative |
|---|
| forgo |
| forgo |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | forgo - do without or cease to hold or adhere to; "We are dispensing with formalities"; "relinquish the old ideas" |
| 2. |  forgo - be earlier in time; go back further; "Stone tools precede bronze tools" | |
| 3. | forgo - lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime; "you've forfeited your right to name your successor"; "forfeited property" abandon - forsake, leave behind; "We abandoned the old car in the empty parking lot" lapse - let slip; "He lapsed his membership" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
forgo
foregoverb give up, sacrifice, surrender, do without, kick (informal), abandon, resign, yield, relinquish, renounce, waive, say goodbye to, cede, abjure, leave alone or out The men would not forgo the chance of a feast.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
forgo
also foregoverb
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995