forgive
forgive — verb
1. to decide that you will release the anger you feel toward someone who has done y
to decide that you will release the anger you feel toward someone who has done you wrong and will no longer think badly of them because of it
Eshe forgave her brother for losing her camera after he bought her a new one.
forgive + person + for + -ing form
The shopkeeper forgave Tamar for the short payment and told her to come back later.
Ari found it hard to forgive himself after forgetting his mother's birthday.
Henry could not forgive how his manager spoke to him in front of the team.
Mateo forgave his younger sister for breaking his laptop after she promised to pay for the repairs.
文法句型
forgive someone
forgive someone for something
forgive someone for doing something
用法筆記
Commonly followed by 'for' to specify the wrongdoing: forgive someone for something. The person wronged is the grammatical subject; the person who did wrong is the direct object.
常見錯誤
2. indicates that someone's incorrect thought or action is so natural that they sho
indicates that someone's incorrect thought or action is so natural that they should not be criticised for it
Anyone could be forgiven for thinking Inês was a trained chef, given how good her food was.
could be forgiven for thinking
A visitor to Oxford could be forgiven for mistaking the old library for a medieval palace.
Jisoo could be forgiven for believing the email was real, since it looked so official.
Passers-by could be forgiven for assuming the two actors were a real couple.
- understandable
adjective that captures the same idea of reasonable error
- excusable
suggests the mistake deserves to be overlooked
文法句型
could be forgiven for thinking/believing/assuming
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive construction 'could be forgiven for + -ing'. The subject is a general person (anyone, a visitor, one) rather than a specific individual.
常見錯誤
3. to set aside all anger about something someone has done and restore a good relat
to set aside all anger about something someone has done and restore a good relationship with them, putting the disagreement entirely in the past
Ravindra forgave his cousin for missing the airport pickup, and their friendship grew stronger.
Eve decided to forgive and forget rather than let the quarrel ruin the family dinner.
idiomatic phrase: forgive and forget
Defne found it impossible to forgive the insult, even after her friend apologised.
The two business partners forgave each other after months of silence and worked together again.
Trang finally forgave the man who stole her bicycle, though she never forgot what happened.
- let go
informal, emphasizes releasing negative feelings
- make peace
focuses on restoring harmony between people
- hold a grudge
to continue being angry about something from the past
- bear a grudge
to keep resentment toward someone over time
文法句型
forgive someone
forgive someone for something
forgive and forget
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about stopping blame or anger in general; sense 3 emphasizes fully releasing the emotional hold of the offense so that the relationship can return to how it was before.
常見錯誤
4. used before asking a question or making a statement that could come across as ru
used before asking a question or making a statement that could come across as rude or direct, as a polite way to soften what you are about to say
Forgive me for asking, but where did you buy that beautiful dress, Inês?
forgive me for asking
Forgive my ignorance, but what does the word 'algorithm' actually mean?
Forgive me for saying this, Henry, but I think your plan needs more thought.
Forgive the interruption, Ari, but your taxi is waiting outside.
文法句型
forgive me
forgive me for asking/saying
forgive my ignorance
用法筆記
Always used in imperative form ('Forgive me…') or first-person expressions. It does not express actual forgiveness — it is a social politeness marker, similar to 'Excuse me' or 'Pardon me'.
常見錯誤
5. to formally cancel a financial obligation so that the borrower is no longer requ
to formally cancel a financial obligation so that the borrower is no longer required to repay what they owe
The bank forgave Vinícius half of his student loan after he lost his job.
forgive + financial noun: forgive a loan
The charity forgave all debts for families whose homes were destroyed in the flood.
Eshe's parents forgave the money she had borrowed for her university fees.
The small business owner asked the government to forgive the remaining tax payments.
- demand repayment
to insist on getting the money back
- collect
to actively pursue payment of a debt
文法句型
forgive a debt
forgive a loan
be forgiven a debt
用法筆記
The subject is usually an institution (bank, government, charity) or a person who lent the money. The direct object names the financial obligation (debt, loan, payment), not the person — though 'forgive someone a debt' is also possible.