forfeit
UK /ˈfɔː.fɪt/ · US /ˈfɔɹ.fɪt/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms forfeits forfeiting forfeited
- noun A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
- noun A thing forfeited; that which is taken from somebody in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, breach of contract, etc. “He who murders pays the forfeit of his own life.”
- noun Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine as part of a game.
- noun (obsolete, rare) Injury; wrong; mischief.
- verb To suffer the loss of something by wrongdoing or non-compliance “He forfeited his last chance of an early release from jail by repeatedly attacking another inmate.”
- verb To lose a contest, game, match, or other form of competition by voluntary withdrawal, by failing to attend or participate, or by violation of the rules “Because only nine players were present, the football team was forced to forfeit the game.”
- verb To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
- verb To fail to keep an obligation.
- verb (law) Of government officials: to legally remove property from its previous owners.
- adjective Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
Synonyms
capitulate surrender disqualify forgo withgo forfeiture sacrifice give up throw overboard waive forego confiscate forfeited
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English forfait from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait (“crime”), originally the past participle of forfaire (“to transgress”), and Medieval Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Injury; wrong; mischief. [Obs. & R.]
- noun A thing forfeit or forfeited; what is or may be taken from one in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, offense, neglect of duty, or breach of contract; hence, a fine; a mulct; a penalty; as, he who murders pays the forfeit of his life.
- adjective Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
- verb To lose, or lose the right to, by some error, fault, offense, or crime; to render one's self by misdeed liable to be deprived of; to alienate the right to possess, by some neglect or crime; as, to forfeit an estate by treason; to forfeit reputation by a breach of promise; --with to before the one acquiring what is forfeited.
Etymology [OE. forfet crime, penalty, F. forfait crime (LL. forefactum, forifactum), prop. p.p. of forfaire to forfeit, transgress, fr. LL. forifacere, prop., to act beyond; L. foris out of doors, abroad, beyond + facere to do. See Foreign, and FAct.]
Etymology [F. forfait, p.p. of forfaire. See Forfeit, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “forfeit”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details