forgo

verb

for·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

variants or less commonly forego

forwent fȯr-ˈwent  ; forgone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; forgoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

transitive verb

1

: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without

never forwent an opportunity of honest profit

—R. L. Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days

2

archaic : forsake

forgoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• abjure
• abstain (from)
• forbear
• keep (from)
• refrain (from)
• withhold (from)

Examples of forgo in a Sentence

She is planning to forgo her right to a trial and simply plead guilty.

I'll forgo dessert tonight—I'm trying to lose weight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Entrepreneurs who don’t have limitless investor funding, or personal wealth, often have to go to extremes to keep a new venture afloat: Depleting their savings, forgoing a salary, even selling off assets. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025

For once, the originator of the glazed donut nail trend has taken pity on us, forgoing an impossible design or finish that involves applying at least three types of polish. —Arancha Gamo, Glamour, 2 Feb. 2025

Meanwhile, some of the newcomers showing at the event seem happy to forgo commercial imperatives in favor of producing handcrafted one-offs that cannot always be easily recreated in large numbers. —Cathrin Schaer, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025

And with respect to Latin America, Trump will remain myopically fixated on securitizing the U.S.-Mexico border, forgoing the opportunity to collaborate on issues of mutual concern, such as transnational crime and climate change. —Michael Brenes, Foreign Affairs, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English forgān to pass by, forgo, from for- + gān to go

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

forgo

verb

for·​go

variants also forego

fȯr-ˈgō,

fōr-

forwent

-ˈwent

; forgone -ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; forgoing -ˈgō-iŋ 

: to let pass

forgo an opportunity

: go without

forgo lunch