forgive
v.v. to stop feeling angry at someone who did something wrong to you. You decide to let go of the bad feelings and not punish them.
v. to cease to feel resentment against an offender or to waive any claim to compensation for an injury. Transitive — requires a direct object, which can be the person or the offence.
I forgive you for being late to the meeting.
After a long conversation about their misunderstanding, she decided to forgive him and move on.
While the legal system may demand restitution, the victim's family chose to forgive the perpetrator, seeking personal peace rather than prolonged retribution.
Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (“to forgive, to give”), from Proto-West Germanic frageban, from Proto-Germanic fragebaną (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- + give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”), Yiddish פֿאַרגעבן (fargebn, “to forgive”)
The verb is transitive; it can take the person as the object ('forgive me') or the action ('forgive my lateness'). Often used with 'for' to specify the reason.
I forgive to youI forgive youForgive is a transitive verb and takes the person as a direct object without the preposition 'to'.