forego meaning and examples

2025-08-23

Meaning

Forego means to go without something, to give up voluntarily, or to decide not to have something. It implies sacrificing or abstaining from something, often for a reason.

(Note: “Forego” is often confused with “forgo.” Technically, “forego” means “to precede,” while “forgo” means “to do without.” In modern English, however, “forego” is frequently used in place of “forgo.”)

Grammar and Usage

  • Verb (transitive/intransitive)

    • forego something → to do without it, to give it up.
    • forego doing something → to abstain from an action.

  • Typical sentence structures:

    • "forego the pleasure of …"
    • "forego a meal"
    • "decided to forego something"

Common Phrases

  • forego dessert – to skip eating dessert.
  • forego luxuries – to live without luxuries.
  • forego the opportunity – to let an opportunity pass.

Collocations

  • verb + forego: decide to forego, willingly forego, temporarily forego
  • forego + noun: forego comfort, forego rights, forego profit, forego benefits

Examples

  1. She decided to forego dessert to stick to her diet.
  2. The company will forego short-term profits to invest in the future.
  3. He chose to forego the chance of promotion to spend more time with his family.
  4. Many workers had to forego luxuries during the economic downturn.
  5. We agreed to forego the meeting and handle everything by email.
  6. They decided to forego sleep to finish the project on time.
  7. Athletes often forego certain foods to stay in shape.
  8. She had to forego her vacation because of an urgent assignment.
  • give up
  • abandon
  • renounce
  • sacrifice
  • waive
  • pass up