forgive

forgiveverb

American /fɚˈɡɪv/ British /fəˈɡɪv/ Forgive is said fer-GIV, with the stress on the second part, which rhymes with give.

third-person singular forgives past tense forgave past participle forgiven present participle forgiving

very commondefining vocabulary

forgive me formal

used politely before you ask a question, disagree, or say something that may seem rude

you could be forgiven for thinking something

it would be easy to understand if someone thought something that is not true

With all these new buildings, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a new town.
You could be forgiven for thinking she was angry, but she was only tired.

Forgive me to be late. Forgive me for being late.
The reason follows for and an -ing form, not a to-infinitive.

Grammar trap "forgive": the person comes first and the wrong thing follows for: forgive someone for something, forgive me for being late.