forfeit

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
13
Words With Friends
13
Letters
7
Pronunciation
/ˈfɔː.fɪt/
See all 3 pronunciations
/ˈfɔː.fɪt/ · /ˈfɔɹ.fɪt/ · /ˈfɔrfət/

Definition of forfeit

10 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
    “That he our deadly forfeit should release”
See all 10 definitions

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
    “That he our deadly forfeit should release”
  2. (countable, uncountable)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.”
    “Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal / Remit thy other forfeits.”
  3. (countable, uncountable)Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine as part of a game.
    “Country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day.”
  4. (countable, obsolete, rare, uncountable)Injury; wrong; mischief.
    “a. 1789, Barry St. Leger, Siege of Nicopolis to seek arms upon people and country that never did us any forfeit”

verb

  1. 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.”
  2. 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.”
  3. To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
  4. To fail to keep an obligation.
    “I will have the heart of him if he forfeit.”
  5. Of government officials: to legally remove property from its previous owners.
    “After the raid on USPV, Plaintiffs filed claims with the FBI seeking return of their seized property. The government did not return the property in response to these claims; instead, it indicated that it was seeking to forfeit the property.”

adj

  1. (not-comparable)Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
    “to tread the forfeit paradise”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

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.

Anagrams of forfeit

1 play · some not in Scrabble

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

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