forgive and forget

verb

To absolve somebody completely for a past wrongdoing; to pardon with neither resentment nor a view to retribution.

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Meanings

verbforgive and forget (third-person singular simple present forgives and forgets, present participle forgiving and forgetting, simple past forgave and forgot, past participle forgiven and forgotten)

present singular third person forgives and forgets · participle present forgiving and forgetting · past forgave and forgot · participle past forgiven and forgotten

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo absolve somebody completely for a past wrongdoing; to pardon with neither resentment nor a view to retribution.

    'Not long before he died, the old man disowned him. Then a year and a half ago mom forgave and forgot.'

    2002, Jack Womack, Going, Going, Gone, page 73
    1 more example

    "We will go away in the yacht. Does it matter where we live, so long as we live for each other? Forgive and forget! Oh, Valeria, Valeria, forgive and forget!"

    1875, Wilkie Collins, The law and the lady, page 33

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
let bygones be bygones

Translations

Arabic غَفَرَ وَنَسِيَ
  • غَفَرَ وَنَسِيَ (ḡafara wanasiya)pardon without resentment
Spanish perdonar y olvidar
  • perdonar y olvidarpardon without resentment
Cite this entry
APA

forgive and forget. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgive%20and%20forget

MLA

“forgive and forget.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgive%20and%20forget. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forgive and forget,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgive%20and%20forget.

Source: forgive and forget on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.