Dictionary

forgo en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /fɔɹˈɡoʊ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /fɔːˈɡəʊ/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English forgon (“to go by, pass up”), from Old English forgān (“to go away, forgo”); equivalent to for- + go.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To do without (something enjoyable); to relinquish.
   • I've had to forgo my student discount in exchange for taking the job.
   • You might think that Americans buy roughly the same number of fitted sheets as flats. Or, considering the market for electric blankets, duvets, and other covers, that consumers buy even more bottom sheets, simply forgoing the tops. 1986, New York Magazine, volume 19, number 49, page 20:
   • Doe not for one repulſe forgoe the purpoſe / That you resolu'd t' effect. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 13:
   • Mr. Hoyle, who does not believe many multiple-unit diesel services on secondary routes will resist for ever the road transport challenge, would forgo passenger traffic altogether on a little-used route in order to improve the quality of the freight working and reduce its costs by equating the average speed of all trains on the line concerned. 1960 February, “Talking of Trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 67:
   • But, what afflicts my peace with keenest ruth, / Is, that I have my inner self abused, / Forgone the home delight of constant truth, / And clear and open soul, so prized in fearless youth. 1798, [William Wordsworth], “The Female Vagrant”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], →OCLC, page 83:
2. (literary, transitive) To refrain from, to abstain from.
   • I shall forgo actually stepping inside, thank you.

Forms

Deriveds

forgoer · forgoable

Translations (46)

nl laten voorbijgaan (to let pass) · de verzichten (to do without) · pl zrezygnować (to let pass) · sv förgå (to let pass) · pt privar-se de (to let pass) · fi antaa mennä (to let pass) · sl odpovedati se čemu (to let pass) · de entsagen (to do without) · bg отказвам се (to let pass) · bg минавам без (to do without) · bg пропу́сна (to do without) · es dejar pasar (to let pass) · nl het zonder doen (to do without) · oc abandonar (to do without) · fi pidättäytyä (to do without) · nl passen (to let pass) · es renunciar a (to do without) · ru возде́рживаться (to do without) · ru отка́зываться (to do without) · es dejar de lado (to do without) · oc daissar (to let pass) · de auslassen (to let pass) · pl obywać się bez (to do without) · pl obyć się bez (to do without) · mi whakamahue (to do without) · da forgå (to let pass) · oc renonciar (to let pass) · oc renonciar (to do without) · sv avstå från (to do without) · oc deissar (to do without) · fi luopua (to do without) · fi päästää (to let pass) · mi waiho (to do without) · mi whakakore (to do without) · es pasar por alto (to let pass) · fi jättää rauhaan (to let pass) · pl rezygnować (to let pass) · da undvære (to do without) · fr renoncer à (to do without) · nl zich onthouden van (to do without) · bg пропу́скам (to do without) · fr se passer de (to do without) · fi olla ilman (to do without) · bg изоставям (to let pass) · mi whakarere (to do without) · de unterlassen (to let pass)