Home UK English forfeit

Meaning of forfeit in English:

forfeit

Pronunciation /?f??f?t/

Translate forfeit into Spanish

verbforfeits, forfeiting, forfeited

[with object]

  • 1Lose or be deprived of (property or a right or privilege) as a penalty for wrongdoing.

    ‘those unable to meet their taxes were liable to forfeit their estates’
    • ‘When women wed, they forfeited the property rights that they enjoyed as single women.’
    • ‘Where the property is owned jointly, the partner leaving the marital home does not forfeit rights to the property.’
    • ‘Previously the courts could prevent property from being forfeited if it was thought to be excessively hard, in the way the law was applied.’
    • ‘We are looking here at powers to forfeit a person's property because of its nature, or because of that particular property's relationship to some criminal activity.’
    • ‘Although the crime of these two young men was especially heinous, they did not thereby forfeit their rights under English law and under the Convention on Human rights.’
    • ‘Several other states and the federal forfeiture law also permit police and prosecutors to keep forfeited property and proceeds.’
    • ‘He did nothing to forfeit his presumptive entitlement to costs.’
    • ‘Property can be forfeited without its owner ever being charged with a crime…’
    • ‘The result will be, either that Mr Orion ceases to run the business, or that the sublease will be forfeited for the breach.’
    • ‘The dangers to the defendants from the defendants having to forfeit the plaintiff's leases, owing to failure to perform its obligations by the plaintiff or his assigns, may be negligible.’
    • ‘The qualification was based on the idea that a person can forfeit his natural rights to life and liberty by a suitably serious violation of natural law.’
    • ‘For that, she may well have forfeited her own entitlement to the mercy that a jury might otherwise have accorded her.’
    • ‘The flip side is that if your teen does get a ticket in the first six months, driving privileges are forfeited for the next six months.’
    • ‘He has not entirely forfeited his original privilege and powers; something of that image remains.’
    • ‘Locke argued that a person forfeits his rights when committing even minor crimes.’
    • ‘If someone kills other people, do they forfeit their rights?’
    • ‘But even under Florida law, as I understand it, if you abandon your wife, you take another common law wife, you essentially forfeit your rights to have any kind of say in a situation like this.’
    • ‘Under the Act of Settlement of 1689, the Prince automatically forfeited his right of the succession by marrying a Roman Catholic.’
    • ‘Even the prospect of signing a pre-nuptial agreement stating that, in case of a divorce, I would be required to forfeit my rights to custody of my children.’
    • ‘In consequence, many men died in prison, but because they had not been convicted, their property was not forfeited to the Crown.’
    1. 1.1Lose or give up (something) as a necessary consequence of something else.
      ‘she didn't mind forfeiting an hour in bed to muck out the horses’
      • ‘Yet even when Rome's enemies matched the superpower atrocity for atrocity, they were not necessarily forfeiting their chances of posthumous fame.’
      • ‘The Government of Ireland Act had allowed for Northern Ireland to opt out of the Irish Free State, and there is precious little evidence to suggest that unionists were minded to forfeit this opportunity.’
      • ‘If the ladies don't get some new members they will have to disband and forfeit the hour so don't be afraid and use the hour to display your skills and point scoring ability.’
      • ‘In a survival mode, the baby operates at the most primary level, forced to dedicate all resources to the basic functions necessary for existence, thus forfeiting opportunity for potential growth.’
      • ‘Change your job or forfeit your promotion and you lose your identity, your status, the approval of your peers and the virtue associated with constant activity.’
      • ‘Often he simply forfeits his royalties from manufacturers in exchange for products which end up in fans hands free-of-charge (the band merch, not the metal goods, that is).’
      • ‘If a parent wants to send their child to a grammar school but the application fails, the child forfeits a place at a higher performing comprehensive and risks ending up at a weaker school.’
      • ‘But, surely, it forfeits its religious significance when it is used as a weapon of destruction, to punish rather than to purify.’
      • ‘The minute it begins to out-whoop them it forfeits its character and becomes ridiculous.’
      • ‘Guarding your face meant forfeiting peripheral vision and risking a new sort of physical harm - unsympathetic players were known to prod and jab loose-fitting facial armor.’
      • ‘The Pilot so forfeiting his position shall not be reinstated until a vacancy occurs, and then only at the discretion of the Commissioners on his presenting himself as a candidate in like manner as an Apprentice Pilot.’
      • ‘The idea of a major cultural institution forfeiting a key exhibition to the bottom line seemed not only callous and shortsighted but, in many ways, an ominous sign of the times in profit-driven Alberta.’
      • ‘But today it's hard to conceive of Edmontonians forfeiting their own livelihoods to benefit everyone, including strangers in a different province.’
      • ‘In the past Bailey has proved himself as a player always prepared to put his club first, forfeiting a potential position on the end-of-season Kangaroo tour last year to have ear surgery.’
      • ‘When it didn't work out, they just left, forfeiting their security deposit and taking every possession back with them - except the rocks.’
      • ‘I drove forward to the entrance and gnawed my fingernails until a man parallel to me on the left honked and waved at me to go, forfeiting his turn through the intersection.’
      • ‘Respecting the family name becomes an important theme, as doing well means giving your family a good name - even if it means forfeiting your own happiness.’
      • ‘He said that forfeiting the presidential race would be the least of his party's problems if Democrats are tied to any forgery scandal.’
      • ‘At 59, Watson is a rarity, a photographer who has shot every glittering name on the A-list without forfeiting his own anonymity.’
      surrender, relinquish, hand over, deliver up, part with, yield, sacrifice, give up, renounce, be stripped deprived of, be stripped of of, lose
      View synonyms

noun

  • 1A fine or penalty for wrongdoing.

    ‘the loser must pay a forfeit’
    • ‘If the flame should accidentally be extinguished during transfer, then the receiving player is eliminated from the game, and must pay a forfeit.’
    • ‘Count down - throw a ball to each other, but if you miss you must pay a forfeit.’
    • ‘They have pledged to pay a forfeit to charity each time they made the error themselves.’
    • ‘Just a week before the first ball is due to be bowled in the eighth cricket World Cup, the talk wasn't about champions and challengers yesterday but boycotts, riots, forfeits and fines.’
    • ‘His fate changes when he loses a bet and pays his forfeit by having his hair dyed platinum blonde.’
    • ‘I thought that in a race, the loser has to pay a forfeit.’
    • ‘In fact, many of them pay a forfeit to government as part of making their own choices: Homeschoolers pay taxes to support a public school system they do not use.’
    • ‘Moreover a man is required by divine and positive law to submit to corporal punishment if he cannot pay the forfeit for any act he has committed.’
    • ‘It can be agreed that the player or team that loses most games has to pay a forfeit, such as crawling under the table and crowing like a cockerel.’
    • ‘Here is something awesome, which dramatises and amplifies the idea that in some particularly heinous murders, only the forfeit of the killer's own life can pay the tariff for the crime.’
    • ‘This states that a conviction is necessary before a fine or forfeit can be imposed.’
    • ‘Members of staff are nominated to pay forfeits if the team win a game by a three-goal margin, while the players are on the receiving end if they lose by four goals or more.’
    • ‘I had pleasure taking forfeits of ladies who could not do their duty, by kissing of them.’
    • ‘And if you feel that the country is a threat to American freedom, smoking cigars from elsewhere seems a small forfeit.’
    • ‘The director is either awarded a ‘banana’ or punished with a forfeit.’
    • ‘As with any Satanic deal there is a sting, a forfeit, a payback.’
    • ‘For those that don't know, the forfeit, a bit of a traditional thing, involves doing a lap of the pitch at training.’
    • ‘Colleagues chased each other and the loser was then sponsored to complete a forfeit.’
    • ‘The loser selects a card of the winner's hand and must perform one of the forfeits (some of which are to remove items of clothing) depending on the number of times the pot was raised.’
    penalty, financial penalty, fine, fee, charge, sanction, punitive action, penance
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1Law An item of property or a right or privilege lost as a legal penalty.
      ‘If he steps outside, he has breached the sureties of forfeit.’
      • ‘Otherwise, the forfeit demanded of me is illegal and void.’
    2. 1.2forfeitsA game in which trivial penalties are exacted for minor misdemeanours.
    3. 1.3mass noun The action of forfeiting something.
      ‘Fish & Neave's record climbed to 4-5, two of the wins by forfeit.’
      • ‘Notwithstanding those performances, Forsyth conceded he may have to do the embarrassing end-of-season forfeit for players who finish the campaign try-less.’
      • ‘The other scheduled game saw Stormbirds win by forfeit over TDC.’
      • ‘HHH is celebrating and it seems that alliances have been made within the heels as Batista and Triple H shake hands and Batista gets on the mic and declares himself the winner by forfeit.’
      • ‘UEFA awarded Tuesday's victory to Milan as a 3-0 forfeit, with the team advancing 5-0 on aggregate.’
      • ‘They also lost 14-12 to Eastern Districts on May 7, but won by forfeit when the two sides were scheduled to play at Lone Pine Oval on July 9.’
      • ‘There have been church commitments and family obligations and the like. Normally this isn't a problem, but when a team is down to six players, it means another forfeit.’
      • ‘He reached for his constant-interruption controls but pulled back, remembering that such a move would result in automatic forfeit.’
      • ‘Their reserves won via forfeit against the Italians.’
      • ‘‘Whoa, girl, okay,’ he said, seeing my act and buying it, holding up his hands in forfeit.’
      • ‘And the New Jersey Americans' forfeit of a ‘playoff’ game is worth an article in itself.’
      • ‘In meetings between the top three this season, leaving aside Thornlie's round one forfeit to Kenwick, the results have been full of interest.’
      • ‘Leah suddenly realized something and shouted, ‘We win the race by forfeit!’’
      • ‘Lucia's indifference melted into a cautious glower, but Sondra only smiled and held up her hands in forfeit.’
      • ‘Given the circumstances, it should come as no surprise that the Americans won their first game by forfeit.’

adjective

predicative

  • Lost or surrendered as a penalty for wrongdoing.

    ‘his possessions were declared forfeit’
    • ‘Breakaways had a double win this weekend with their on-court 38-23 victory over Tribes followed by a forfeit victory over All Saints from their game held over from the first round.’
    • ‘How does that work with condemnation of forfeit goods?’
    • ‘Let's face it, the Red Sox are a bigger reason than Hurricane Frances as to why the Yankees were seeking a forfeit victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Monday.’
    • ‘The Bronx Irishmen had previously beaten Manhattan Kickers and received a forfeit win over CD Iberia.’
    • ‘Both played in the team's opening game against Columneetza which resulted in a forfeit loss.’
    • ‘It did not mean that statutory authority to discharge into the sewage works became forfeit upon proof of a nuisance.’
    • ‘In the event, finance could not be raised in time, and the deposit of ￡40,000 was forfeit under the terms of Moore's contract.’
    • ‘He had indicated in court that he would not prevent the girl's return to Britain and had persuaded the court to remove a ￡1m bond that would have been forfeit.’
    • ‘The company was granted the licence on the payment of a deposit of i5,000 which would be forfeit if the company did not comply with the requirements of the licence.’
    • ‘As a result of the delay and in accordance with the provisions in the regulations, the security was declared forfeit.’
    • ‘Alfred's law declared that a man's life and property were forfeit if he plotted against the king.’
    • ‘So I simply had him tell the country simpleton that half his lands were forfeit under the Catholic property restrictions!’
    • ‘If the copyright holder does not pay the tax for 3 years, then the work is forfeit to the public domain.’
    • ‘The only faintly sinister moment in my new nirvana was when we were told that we couldn't unplug the set-top box's phone link to Sky headquarters, otherwise our contract would be forfeit.’
    • ‘The plants and cultivation system were forfeit.’
    • ‘Yeah, he has a lot of ideas, but without being supported by the Americans, his life would be forfeit.’
    • ‘The Bench ordered that the net and rabbits should be forfeit.’
    • ‘This was a major offense, punishable by death, and his life and domain were therefore forfeit, leading to the famous vendetta.’
    • ‘In an age where trust and faith in God and governments are forfeit, humanity, expressed through fear, is the last bond of the race.’
    • ‘Now the initially agreed sales targets are not being met, there is talk of the franchise being forfeit.’

Origin

Middle English (originally denoting a crime or transgression, hence a fine): from Old French forfet, forfait, past participle of forfaire ‘transgress’, from for- ‘out’ (from Latin foris ‘outside’) + faire ‘do’ (from Latin facere).