Meaning & use
forsake
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To leave someone who needs or trusts you, usually in a way that feels like betrayal.
Grammar: Takes an object: forsake your friends.
Patterns
- forsake someone
- forsake someone for something
He promised never to forsake his family.
The villagers felt that the government had forsaken them.
She would not forsake a friend in trouble.
verbtransitive
To give up something you have valued or practiced, such as a habit or belief.
Grammar: Often used for choices: forsake a career.
Patterns
- forsake something for something
He forsook city life for a farm.
They forsook their old beliefs after the move.
She forsook sugar completely for a year.
Word forms
| third person singular | forsakes |
|---|---|
| past tense | forsook |
| past participle | forsaken |
| -ing form | forsaking |
Common combinations
- forsake all others
- They vowed to forsake all others in the ceremony.
- forsake your family
- He refused to forsake his family.
- forsake your principles
- The senator would not forsake his principles.
- feel forsaken
- She felt forsaken after they left.
- godforsaken place
- We were stuck in a godforsaken place with no signal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- abandon
- Abandon is everyday and neutral, while forsake adds emotional weight and a sense of broken loyalty.
- desert
- Desert often suggests leaving duty, as a soldier does, whereas forsake focuses on loyalty to a person.
- renounce
- Renounce is a formal, deliberate giving up of a claim or belief.
- leave
- Leave is plain and can be temporary, but forsake implies a lasting break.
Opposites
Word family
- forsaken adjective
- abandoned and lonely
- forsook verb
- past tense of forsake
- forsaking noun
- the act of giving up
- godforsaken adjective
- remote and dismal
Commonly confused: forsake or foresake?
forsake vs foresake
Foresake is a common misspelling; the verb is spelled forsake.
Practice
The wedding vows said, I will never ___ you, whatever happens.
Choose one answer.
Forsake means abandon in a way that betrays loyalty. Forget would be a weaker and different promise.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “forsake”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.