for ‧ get S1 W1 /fəˈɡet $ fər-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense forgot /-ˈɡɒt $ -ˈɡɑːt/, past participle forgotten /-'ɡɒtn $ -ˈɡɑːtn/)
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ forgetfully , ↑ unforgettably ; adjective : ↑ forgetful , ↑ forgettable ≠ ↑ unforgettable ; verb : ↑ forget ; noun : ↑ forgetfulness ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: forgietan ]
1 . FACTS/INFORMATION [intransitive and transitive] to not remember facts, information, or people or things from the past:
I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.
I know you told me, but I forgot.
What happened that day will never be forgotten.
forget about
Karl says he forgot about our date.
She forgot all about their anniversary.
forget (that)
I forgot that there’s a speed limit here.
forget how/what/when/why etc
How can you forget where you’ve parked the car?
He’s someone who never forgets a face (=forgets who someone is) .
I was forgetting ... (=said when you have just remembered or been reminded about something) spoken :
Oh yes, I was forgetting she was pregnant.
2 . SOMETHING YOU MUST DO [intransitive and transitive] to not remember to do something that you should do:
‘Did you remember to post that letter?’ ‘Oh, sorry, I forgot.’
Give me your phone number before I forget (=forget to get it) .
forget to do something
Someone’s forgotten to turn off their headlights.
clean forget American English (=completely forget)
He meant to invite Monica, but he clean forgot.
3 . LEAVE SOMETHING SOMEWHERE [transitive] to not remember to bring something that you need with you
forget your keys/money/cigarettes etc
Oh no, I’ve forgotten my wallet.
4 . STOP THINKING ABOUT [intransitive and transitive] to stop thinking or worrying about someone or something:
Forget him, he’s not worth it.
At my age, I think I can forget fashion.
forget (that)
After a while you’ll forget you’re wearing contact lenses.
forget about
I’ll never be able to forget about the accident.
5 . NOT CARE ABOUT [intransitive and transitive] to not care about or give attention to someone or something any longer
forget about
Don’t forget about your old friends when you go off to college, okay?
You can’t afford to forget your relationship with your husband.
6 . STOP A PLAN [intransitive and transitive] to stop planning to do something because it is no longer possible or sensible
forget about
We’ll have to forget about going on holiday.
If we can’t get any funding we might as well forget the whole thing.
7 . not forgetting something British English used to add something to a list of things you have mentioned:
You’ll have to pay for the packaging and transportation costs, not forgetting airport taxes.
8 . forget yourself
a) to do something stupid or embarrassing, especially by losing control of your emotions:
Lisa forgot herself and reached out to touch his knee.
b) British English to become so involved in something that you do not think about or notice anything else SYN lose yourself
forget yourself in something
Often he would forget himself in his work for hours.
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SPOKEN PHRASES
9 . don’t forget
a) used to remind someone to do something:
We need bread, milk, and eggs – don’t forget.
don’t forget to do something
Don’t forget to lock up when you leave.
b) used to remind someone about an important fact or detail that they should consider
don’t forget (that)
But don’t forget that you have to pay interest on the loan.
Don’t forget, I’ll be home late tonight.
c) used to remind someone to take something with them:
Don’t forget your sandwiches.
10 . forget it spoken
a) used to tell someone that something is not important and they do not need to worry about it:
‘Sorry I didn’t phone.’ ‘Forget it.’
b) used to tell someone to stop asking or talking about something, because it is annoying you:
I’m not coming with you, so forget it.
c) ( also forget that! American English ) used to tell someone that you refuse to do something or that it will be impossible to do something:
‘Can you lend me $10.’ ‘Forget it, no way.’
If you’re thinking of getting Roy to help, you can forget it!
d) used when someone asks you what you just said and you do not want to repeat it:
‘What did you say?’ ‘ Nothing, just forget it.’
11 . I’ll never forget something used to say that you will always remember something from the past, because it was sad, funny, enjoyable etc:
I’ll never forget the look on his face when he opened the door.
12 . aren’t you forgetting ...?/haven’t you forgotten ...? used to remind someone about something, often humorously:
Aren’t you forgetting that you’re already married?
13 . I forget used to say that you cannot remember a particular detail about something
I forget what/where/how etc
I forget what he said exactly but it was very rude.
I forget the name/details etc
I forget the name of the street, but it’s the first on the left.
14 . and don’t you forget it! used to remind someone angrily about an important fact that should make them behave differently:
I’m the boss around here, and don’t you forget it!
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THESAURUS
▪ forget to not remember something or someone:
I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.
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It was an experience she would never forget.
▪ don’t remember/can’t remember used when saying that you have forgotten something:
I know I needed something at the shops, but I can’t remember what it was.
▪ have no recollection of something formal to not remember anything about something that happened in the past:
He told the jury that he had no recollection of the accident.
▪ slip your mind especially spoken if something that you must do slips your mind, you forget to do it because you are busy thinking about other things:
I’m sorry I didn’t call. There was so much going on that it completely slipped my mind.
▪ it goes in one ear and out the other spoken used to say that someone forgets what you tell them very quickly because they are not interested or do not listen properly:
With kids you have to say everything twice. It all goes in one ear and out the other.
▪ my mind goes blank especially spoken used to say that you are suddenly unable to remember something at a time when you need it:
I was so nervous that my mind went blank as soon as they asked me a question.
■ to try to forget something
▪ forget to deliberately try not to think about something sad or unpleasant:
After the divorce came through, I just wanted to forget about it all.
▪ put something out of your mind to make yourself stop thinking about something that stops you concentrating or makes you angry, sad, or nervous:
When I’m competing I put everything out of my mind and concentrate on winning.
▪ put something behind you to stop thinking about something sad or unpleasant that happened to you in the past, so that you can continue with your life and be happy:
It can take a long time to put a traumatic experience like that behind you.
▪ take/keep your mind off something to do something that helps you stop thinking about a problem for a short time:
Sara went out for a walk to try and take her mind off things.
▪ blot something out to forget an unpleasant memory or thought, by deliberately stopping yourself from thinking about it:
He started drinking heavily in an effort to blot out the thought of what he had done.
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I wanted to blot out the events of the previous day.
▪ shut somebody/something out to deliberately forget someone or something and not let them be part of your thoughts and feelings:
The marriage was a disaster, and her husband shut her out of his life completely.