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Glite Dictionary
to forgive and forget

to forgive and forget

12 3.5
To stop feeling angry about a past event and be friendly again
  • idiom
  • /fərˈɡɪv ənd fərˈɡɛt/
  • Informal
translation icon : perdonar y olvidar
  • After our argument, I decided it was time to forgive and forget so we could move forward as friends.
  • let's forgive and forget
  • willing to forgive and forget
  • learn to forgive and forget

I think some people you can forgive and forget.

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Examples

  • Forgive and forget.

    Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

  • So for the sake of the family, I call Roy and tell him, let's forgive and forget.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Do you expect people to forgive and forget?

    Blink Twice (2024)

  • I am willing to forgive and forget.

    Buddy Buddy (1981)

  • Can you forgive and forget?

    Anna Karenina (2012)

  • You must move on; you must forgive and forget.

    Blog text (15)

  • When you forgive and forget, your lifestyle changes completely.

    Blog text (28)

  • Wouldn't you want someone to forgive and forget when you made a mistake?

    Blog text (12)

  • Sidney, I'd just like to say that I forgive and forget, and just like you, I'd like to get back on with my own life.

    Scream 2 (1997)

  • Forgive and forget, buddy.

    Entourage (2015)

Synonyms

to forgive
vsto forgive and forget
∞ 1.4

To stop feeling angry at someone or yourself for a mistake

focuses on restoring normal relationships rather than only ending angry feelings
to let bygones be bygones
vsto forgive and forget
10 5.3

Forgive past fights so they do not affect the present

allows relationships to return to normal instead of just preventing past interference

Antonyms

to resent
248 4.1

To feel angry and upset about something unfair

to hold a grudge
  • Informal
42 4.8

To feel angry at someone for something they did in the past that hurt you

How Reconciled

to forgive and forget
  • Informal
12 3.5
to forgive
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

forgive and forget infinitive

Morphology

forgive + and + forget

The meaning is directly compositional from 'forgive' (stop feeling resentment) + 'forget' (let go of or stop recalling), so a learner who knows both verbs can readily infer it means to stop being angry and move on. Although 'forget' is often figurative rather than literal, the coordinated structure is transparent and common across languages, making the overall sense accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The idiom forgive and forget comes from a simple two-step picture: you forgive, which means you let go of blame, and you forget, which means you stop thinking about the hurt. So the phrase means 'to stop feeling angry about a past event and let a relationship return to normal'.