(ˈ)fȯrˈgō, ˈfȯ(ə)ˈ- transitive verb
also fore·go (ˈ)fōrˈ-, -ȯrˈ-, -ōəˈ-, -ȯ(ə)ˈ-
( for·went also fore·went -ˈwent ; for·gone also fore·gone -ˈgȯn ; for·go·ing also fore·go·ing -ˈgō.iŋ ; forgoes also foregoes )
Etymology: Middle English forgon, forgan, from Old English forgān to pass by, forgo (akin to Old Saxon fargangan to pass away, Old High German firgangan to pass away, Gothic faurgangan to go by), from for- + gān to go — more at go
1. archaic : to depart from : quit , leave , forsake
2. : to abstain from : let slip or pass : relinquish the enjoyment or advantage of : give up : resign , renounce
never forwent an opportunity of honest profit — R.L.Stevenson
decided to forgo dessert for a few days
Synonyms:
abnegate , eschew , forbear , sacrifice : forgo is usually used when one abstains from or gives up an available pleasure or advantage on the grounds of policy or expediency
he agreed … to forgo all remuneration until his apprenticeship was completed — Van Wyck Brooks
he has asked his people to forsake all narrow views of their own security and prosperity and … to forgo many immediate benefits — Economist
to forgo wartime profits — New Republic
this is a book no theater lover should lightly forgo — Spectator
abnegate is usually used when one surrenders, relinquishes, or renounces on grounds of policy, expediency, or sometimes principle, something that one already has, the idea of self-denial often being strongly implied
abnegate all rights to a property
smile in a self- abnegating way
eschew suggests a more all-out abstinence from, often a positive avoidance of, something, usually something inadvisable or distasteful, or something wrong but tempting
the normal vegetarian only eschews fish, flesh, and fowl — N.C.Wright
the laudable aim of eschewing controversial philosophical issues in a textbook — G.B.Keene
it eschews cartoon, illustration, graph, or any device to attract attention — Marketing
the emotions are eschewed as distorters of true knowledge — S.J.Beck
forbear is used when one exercises patient self-restraint in refraining from some action on grounds of prudence or high resolve
she had forgotten several things … but she forbore to mention it — Elizabeth Goudge
forbear to complain even though treated unjustly
sacrifice implies and has generally implied a self-denial, a renunciation of an advantage, usually immediate, in the interests of a future advantage or of someone or something else, as a religious or ethical value, but has come to apply more frequently to the giving up of something of value in the interests of something else, often of less value
the individual will gladly sacrifice both time and money in the party interest — Nation's Business
sacrificed their fortune in the world for theology's sake — H.O.Taylor
significantly important news is often sacrificed for whatever can be depended on to make headlines — F.L.Mott
a writer who, at times, sacrificed his talents to his ambition and pursuit of power — Daniel George