forfeit

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔː.fɪt/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹ.fɪt/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)fɪt

Noun

forfeit (countable and uncountable, plural forfeits)

A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
- 1629, John Milton, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
  That he our deadly forfeit should release
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.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:
  Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal / Remit thy other forfeits.
Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine as part of a game.
- 1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of Wakefield: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Salisbury, Wiltshire: […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […], OCLC 938500648; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, 1885, OCLC 21416084:
  Country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day.
(obsolete, rare) Injury; wrong; mischief.
- a. 1789, Barry St. Leger, Siege of Nicopolis
  to seek arms upon people and country that never did us any forfeit

Translations

penalty

Bulgarian: глоба (bg) f (globa)
Catalan: pena (ca) f
German: Strafe (de) f
Greek: πρόστιμο (el) n (próstimo), τίμημα (el) n (tímima)
Irish: pionós (ga) m
Persian: جزا‎ (fa) (jazâ)
Portuguese: penalidade (pt) f
Russian: распла́та (ru) f (raspláta), штраф (ru) m (štraf)
Slovak: penále n, pokuta f
Spanish: penalización f

Something deposited and redeemable

Catalan: penyora (ca) f
French: gage (fr) m
German: Pfand (de) n
Portuguese: prenda (pt) f

Verb

forfeit (third-person singular simple present forfeits, present participle forfeiting, simple past and past participle forfeited or (rare) forfeit)

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.
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.
To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
To fail to keep an obligation.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i]:
  I will have the heart of him if he forfeit.

Synonyms

(lose a contest): capitulate, surrender, disqualify
(voluntarily give up): forgo, withgo

Derived terms

forfeitable
forfeiter
forfeits
forfeiture
nonforfeited
nonforfeiting
nonforfeiture

Translations

to suffer the loss

Bulgarian: губя (bg) (gubja), лишавам се от (lišavam se ot)
Catalan: perdre (ca)
Danish: miste (da), forspilde, fortabe
Dutch: verkwanselen (nl), verliezen (nl), verspelen (nl)
French: perdre (fr)
German: verwirken (de), einbüßen (de)
Greek: στερούμαι (el) (steroúmai)
Latin: perdo
Persian: از دست دادن‎ (az dast dâdan)
Polish: stracić (pl)
Portuguese: perder (pt)
Russian: утра́чивать (ru) impf (utráčivatʹ), утра́тить (ru) pf (utrátitʹ), лиша́ться (ru) impf (lišátʹsja), лиши́ться (ru) pf (lišítʹsja) (+ genitive case)
Scottish Gaelic: caill
Serbo-Croatian: izgubiti (sh)
Slovak: prepadnúť, stratiť
Spanish: perder (es)
Swedish: förverka (sv)
Tamil: இழ (ta) (iḻa)

to give up in defeat

Czech: prohrát kontumačně
Dutch: opgeven (nl), verbeuren (nl)
French: abandonner (fr), déclarer forfait (fr)
German: aufgeben (de)
Greek: χάνω (el) (cháno)
Hungarian: felad (hu)
Polish: zrzec się (pl), zrezygnować (pl)
Portuguese: render-se, desistir (pt)
Russian: сдава́ться (ru) impf (sdavátʹsja), сда́ться (ru) pf (sdátʹsja)
Serbo-Croatian: predati (sh)
Slovak: vzdať
Spanish: (se) rendir (es)
Swedish: förlora på walk over (sv), lämna walk over (sv)

Adjective

forfeit (not comparable)

Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
- 1867, Ralph Waldo Emerson, May-Day
  to tread the forfeit paradise

Translations

lost or alienated

German. verwirkt (de)
Swedish: förverkad (sv)

Anagrams

toffier