forsake

Forsake is a transitive verb meaning to abandon or renounce someone or something, often with a sense of finality or moral decision. It can refer to abandoning a person, leaving a place, renouncing a belief, or ceasing to fulfill a duty or loyalty. In everyday English it is more formal or literary than synonyms such as abandon or desert.

The word comes from Old English forsacan, and it entered Middle English with the current form. It has irregular inflections: the simple past is forsook, and the past participle is forsaken. Examples include “They forsook their homeland” and “She has forsaken her former beliefs.”

Usage notes: Forsake carries strong emotional or moral weight and is more common in literary, religious, or formal contexts. It can apply to people (forsake a friend), commitments (forsake one’s duties), or beliefs (forsake a creed). Common collocations include “to forsake all others” in some traditional marriage vows, “to forsake a habit,” or “to forsake the city.” Related terms include abandon, desert, renounce, and relinquish; antonyms include stay, remain, keep, and uphold.