How to Use forgive in a Sentence

forgive

verb
  • The government has agreed to forgive some of the debt.
  • He finds it hard to forgive an insult.
  • When he feels he's been insulted, he finds it hard to forgive and forget.
  • We must ask God to forgive us for our sins.
  • We must ask God to forgive our sins.
  • Can you ever forgive me for being so selfish?
  • I've never forgiven myself for the way I treated her.
  • And who is there to forgive her?
    — Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
  • No one was telling me to forgive them.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • By all means, forgive and move on.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Let’s forgive the fool-killers.
    — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
  • All those things were forgiven as the team won.
    — Cliff Brunt, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
  • These are the kinds of things that Putin does not forgive.
    — Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The open-air venues will not be so forgiving.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 10 June 2026
  • But all seems to be forgiven now.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Few plants are as forgiving as pothos.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 23 Feb. 2026
  • This is the scene where the father pleads with the son to forgive him.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
  • And, of course, Ellen and the kids forgive him and hug it out.
    — Misha Berson, Variety, 27 Sep. 2022
  • The people will not forgive it.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026
  • And the world was not forgiving.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Sheri tried to forgive the man who hurt her, more for herself than for him.
    — Marisa Kwiatkowski, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
  • Does Fresh Start forgive all tax debt?
    — Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • And then their sins are forgiven.
    — Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Your knees will never forgive you.
    — Martha Stewart, 21 June 2026
  • Point is, this recipe is forgiving.
    — Leah Donnella, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Jan. 2026
  • And for that, you’d be forgiven.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Nobody is going to forgive it or pay it for us.
    — Letters To The Editor, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Give me raiders of the lost past, any day, and forgive them their lack of footnotes.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
  • For those who spend hours at a standing desk, your knees and feet may not forgive you.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
  • For those who spend hours at a standing desk, your knees and feet may not forgive you.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forgive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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