Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To fail to remember or recall information, a fact, or a person: To be unable to bring something to mind.
   • To unintentionally leave something behind: To fail to take something with you when you leave a place.
   • To stop thinking about; to dismiss from one's mind: To consciously or unconsciously cease to remember or consider something.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To fail to remember: To experience a lapse in memory.

Usage

• Forget is used to indicate a failure of memory or a deliberate act of not remembering.
• It can be followed by a noun, a clause, a gerund, or an infinitive, with subtle differences in meaning.
• When followed by an infinitive (e.g., ), it means failing to perform a necessary future action.
• When followed by a gerund (e.g., ), it means losing the memory of a past completed action.

Examples

• Transitive Verb:

  • I always forget her birthday. (I fail to remember the date.)
  • She forgot her passport at home. (She unintentionally left it behind.)
  • He decided to forget their argument and move on. (He chose to stop thinking about it.)

• Intransitive Verb:

  • As you get older, you tend to forget more often. (Memory lapses become more frequent.)

• With Infinitive:

  • Don't forget to lock the door. (It is necessary that you perform the action of locking it.)

• With Gerund:

  • I'll never forget meeting you for the first time. (I will always retain the memory of that past event.)

Advanced Usage

• "Forget about it": Used to tell someone that something is not important or to dismiss a topic.
  • "I'm sorry I'm late." – "Don't worry, forget about it."
• "Forget oneself": To behave in an inappropriate or uncharacteristic way, often due to strong emotion; or to lose consciousness.
  • In his anger, he forgot himself and shouted at the manager.
• "Forgive and forget": An idiom meaning to completely pardon a wrong and cease to dwell on it.
  • True reconciliation requires both parties to forgive and forget.

Variants and Related Words

• Forgetful (adj): Tending or likely to forget.
  • He became increasingly forgetful in his old age.
• Forgettable (adj): Not memorable or worthy of remembrance.
  • It was a pleasant but entirely forgettable movie.
• Unforgettable (adj): Making such a strong impression that it is impossible to forget.
  • We had an unforgettable vacation in Italy.

Synonyms

• Overlook: To fail to notice or consider (often implies a more passive error).
• Neglect: To fail to care for or give proper attention to (implies a stronger sense of disregard).
• Omit: To leave out or exclude, sometimes unintentionally.

Phrasal Verbs

• Forget about: To stop thinking or worrying about something; to consider something lost or unimportant.
  • You should just forget about that silly rumor.
  • I've completely forgotten about our appointment.

Related Idioms

• "Easier said than done": Often used in the context of trying to forget something painful.
  • "Just forget him," she said. But it's easier said than done.
• "Out of sight, out of mind": Suggests that people or things not seen are soon forgotten.

Verb

1. leave behind unintentionally
   • I forgot my umbrella in the restaurant
   • I left my keys inside the car and locked the doors
2. forget to do something
   • Don't forget to call the chairman of the board to the meeting!
3. be unable to remember
   • I'm drawing a blank
   • You are blocking the name of your first wife!
4. dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
   • I tried to bury these unpleasant memories