forgive

forgive
    v 1: stop blaming or grant forgiveness; "I forgave him his
         infidelity"; "She cannot forgive him for forgetting her
         birthday"
    2: absolve from payment; "I forgive you your debt"
    

Forgive \For*give"\, v. t. [imp. {Forgave}; p. p. {Forgiven}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Forgiving}] [OE. forgiven, foryiven, foryeven,
   AS. forgiefan, forgifan; perh. for- + giefan, gifan to give;
   cf. D. vergeven, G. vergeben, Icel. fyrirgefa, Sw. f?rgifva,
   Goth. fragiban to give, grant. See {For-}, and {Give}, v. t.]
   1. To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to
      resign.
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            To them that list the world's gay shows I leave,
            And to great ones such folly do forgive. --Spenser.
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   2. To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of
      (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon;
      -- said in reference to the act forgiven.
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            And their sins should be forgiven them. --Mark iv.
                                                  12.
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            He forgive injures so readily that he might be said
            to invite them.                       --Macaulay.
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   3. To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong
      committed; to give up claim to requital from or
      retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; --
      said of the person offending.
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            Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
            do.                                   --Luke xxiii.
                                                  34.
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            I as free forgive you, as I would be fforgiven.
                                                  --Shak.
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   Note: Sometimes both the person and the offense follow as
         objects of the verb, sometimes one and sometimes the
         other being the indirect object. "Forgive us our debts
         as we forgive our debtors." --Matt. vi. 12. "Be of good
         cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." --Matt. ix. 2.

   Syn: See {excuse}.
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64 Moby Thesaurus words for "forgive":
      abolish, absolve, acquit, allow, amnesty, cancel, clear, condone,
      consign to oblivion, decontaminate, delete, destigmatize,
      discharge, dismiss, dispense from, disregard, erase, exculpate,
      excuse, exempt, exempt from, exonerate, forbear,
      forgive and forget, free, give absolution, give quarter,
      grant amnesty to, grant forgiveness, grant immunity,
      grant remission, have mercy upon, have pity, ignore, indulge,
      justify, let go, let off, let up on, make allowances for, melt,
      nonpros, nullify, obliterate, overlook, pardon, pass over, purge,
      quash the charge, relax, release, relent, remit, reprieve,
      set free, shrive, spare, take pity on, thaw, vindicate, void,
      waive, whitewash, withdraw the charge