for|get|ful /fə r ge tfʊl/ ADJ Someone who is forgetful often forgets things. □ My mother has become very forgetful and confused recently.
forge t-me-not (forget-me-nots ) N‑COUNT A forget-me-not is a small plant with tiny blue flowers.
for|get|table /fə r ge təb ə l/ ADJ If you describe something or someone as forgettable , you mean that they do not have any qualities that make them special, unusual, or interesting. □ He has acted in three forgettable action films.
for|giv|able /fə r g I vəb ə l/ ADJ If you say that something bad is forgivable , you mean that you can understand it and can forgive it in the circumstances. □ Is infidelity ever forgivable?
for|give /fə r g I v/ (forgives , forgiving , forgave , forgiven )
1 VERB If you forgive someone who has done something bad or wrong, you stop being angry with them and no longer want to punish them. □ [V n] Hopefully she'll understand and forgive you, if she really loves you. □ [V n + for ] She'd find a way to forgive him for the theft of the money. □ [V n n] Still, for those flashes of genius, you can forgive him anything. [Also V ]
2 V-PASSIVE If you say that someone could be forgiven for doing something, you mean that they were wrong or mistaken, but not seriously, because many people would have done the same thing in those circumstances. □ [be V -ed + for ] Looking at the figures, you could be forgiven for thinking the recession is already over.
3 VERB Forgive is used in polite expressions and apologies like ' forgive me ' and ' forgive my ignorance ' when you are saying or doing something that might seem rude, silly, or complicated. [POLITENESS ] □ [V n] Forgive me, I don't mean to insult you. □ [V n] I do hope you'll forgive me but I've got to leave. □ [V n] 'Forgive my manners,' she said calmly. 'I neglected to introduce myself.'
4 VERB If an organization such as a bank forgives someone's debt, they agree not to ask for that money to be repaid. □ [V n] This man has just been forgiven a debt of $10 million.
for|give|ness /fə r g I vnəs/ N‑UNCOUNT If you ask for forgiveness , you ask to be forgiven for something wrong that you have done. □ I offered up a short prayer for forgiveness. □ …a spirit of forgiveness and national reconciliation.
for|giv|ing /fə r g I v I ŋ/ ADJ Someone who is forgiving is willing to forgive. □ Voters can be remarkably forgiving of presidents who fail to keep their campaign promises.
for|go /fɔː r goʊ / → see forego
for|got /fə r gɒ t/ Forgot is the past tense of forget .
for|got|ten /fə r gɒ t ə n/ Forgotten is the past participle of forget .
fork /fɔː r k/ (forks , forking , forked )
1 N‑COUNT A fork is a tool used for eating food which has a row of three or four long metal points at the end. □ …knives and forks.
2 VERB If you fork food into your mouth or onto a plate, you put it there using a fork. □ [V n + into/onto ] Ann forked some fish into her mouth. □ [V n + into/onto ] He forked an egg onto a piece of bread and folded it into a sandwich.
3 N‑COUNT A garden fork is a tool used for breaking up soil which has a row of three or four long metal points at the end.
4 N‑COUNT A fork in a road, path, or river is a point at which it divides into two parts and forms a 'Y' shape. □ [+ in ] We arrived at a fork in the road. □ The road divides; you should take the right fork.
5 VERB [no cont] If a road, path, or river forks , it forms a fork. □ [V ] Beyond the village the road forked. □ [V prep/adv] The path dipped down to a sort of cove, and then it forked in two directions.
6 → see also tuning fork
▸ fork out PHRASAL VERB If you fork out for something, you spend a lot of money on it. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P + for/on ] He will have to fork out for private school fees for Nina. □ [V P ] You don't ask people to fork out every time they drive up the motorways. □ [V P n + for/on ] Britons fork out more than a billion pounds a year on toys.
forked /fɔː r kt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that divides into two parts and forms a 'Y' shape can be described as forked . □ Jaegers are swift black birds with long forked tails.
fo rked li ght|ning N‑UNCOUNT Forked lightning is lightning that divides into two or more parts near the ground.
fork|ful /fɔː r kfʊl/ (forkfuls ) N‑COUNT You can refer to an amount of food on a fork as a forkful of food. □ [+ of ] I put a forkful of fillet steak in my mouth.
fork|lift truck /fɔː r kl I ftrʌ k/ (forklift trucks ) in BRIT, also use fork-lift truck N‑COUNT A forklift truck or a forklift is a small vehicle with two movable parts on the front that are used to lift heavy loads.
for|lorn /fɔː r lɔː r n/
1 ADJ [ADJ n, v-link ADJ , ADJ after v] If someone is forlorn , they feel alone and unhappy. [LITERARY ] □ One of the demonstrators, a young woman, sat forlorn on the pavement.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A forlorn hope or attempt is one that you think has no chance of success. □ Peasants have left the land in the forlorn hope of finding a better life in cities.