Meaning & use
forego
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To give up or do without something you could have had or done, usually as a choice.
Grammar: Takes an object: forego dessert. Most careful writers spell this sense forgo.
Patterns
- forego something
- forego doing something
She decided to forego her vacation to save for a house.
The team chose to forego a break and finish the project.
He will forego his salary until the company recovers.
verbtransitivearchaicformal
To come or go before something else in time or place.
Grammar: This precedes sense is old and rare; today it is almost always seen in the form foregoing.
Patterns
- forego something
Music foregoes language in the development of a child.
The ceremony was foregone by a short procession.
Such a tragedy foregoes the dawn of better laws.
Word forms
| third person singular | foregoes |
|---|---|
| past tense | forewent |
| past participle | foregone |
| -ing form | foregoing |
Common combinations
- forego the pleasure
- They agreed to forego the pleasure of a long dinner.
- forego a vacation
- We had to forego a vacation this year.
- forego dessert
- He chose to forego dessert and have coffee instead.
- forego payment
- The lawyer offered to forego payment for the case.
- forego the right
- By signing, you forego the right to appeal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- give up
- Give up is the common everyday phrasal verb, while forego is more formal and often implies a deliberate sacrifice.
- do without
- Do without stresses managing despite lacking something, while forego stresses choosing not to have it.
- waive
- Waive is used for rights, fees or rules officially set aside, whereas forego is wider.
- relinquish
- Relinquish means to let go of something you already hold, such as a claim or title, while forego means not taking something.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: forego or forgo?
forego vs forgo
Forgo, without the e, is the preferred spelling for doing without something, and forego traditionally means to go before, though many people now use forego for both.
Practice
Which sentence correctly uses the verb forego or forgo in its most common sense?
Choose one answer.
The past tense is forewent. Foregoed is not a standard form, the third is the wrong tense, and foregone cannot be used alone as a past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “forego”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.