Synonyms for forgo
Most common
relinquish abandon waive abstain come before precede forfeit
Definitions
- v. 1
To do without (something enjoyable); to relinquish.
I've had to forgo my student discount in exchange for taking the job.
- v. 2
To refrain from, to abstain from.
I shall forgo actually stepping inside, thank you.
- v. 3
To precede, to go before.
Forms
- Past participle
- forgone
e.g. forgone → relinquished, abandoned, waived, abstained…
Example sentences
- abandon Many Armenians were forced to abandon their lands.
- waive Tom does not want to waive his right to a jury trial.
- relinquish Power is a drug which few ever manage to relinquish.
- abstain Tom was told to abstain from smoking and drinking.
- precede In Asia men usually precede women when walking.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| forgo | rising | |
| abandon | steady | |
| waive | steady | |
| relinquish | steady | |
| abstain | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- drop1, omit2, cede1
- 5 letters
- waive1
- 6 letters
- abjure
- 7 letters
- abandon3, forfeit2, abstain2, precede2
- 8 letters
- renounce2, abdicate3, forswear2, antedate, antecede
- 10 letters
- relinquish3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (omit2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- renoncer à