forsake

[fawr-seyk] / fɔrˈseɪk /

VERB

abandon, turn one's back on

Synonyms

STRONGEST

disown forgo forswear jettison quit relinquish renounce repudiate set aside spurn

STRONG

abdicate desert disclaim jilt leave resign surrender yield

WEAK

cast off change one's tune drift away give up have done with kiss goodbye leave flat leave high and dry run out on show the door take the oath throw over walk out on wash one's hands of

Antonyms

STRONGEST

allow approve continue keep

STRONG

claim hold maintain

WEAK

go back rediscover return revert

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Iran's governing football body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to forsake their home nation against their will.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

I can’t be the only 57-year-old who would forsake both for six uninterrupted hours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

“You don’t have to forsake your life to make great stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2024

Adult men should survive without requiring women to forsake our own goals and desires in order to serve them.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2024

“I always said he was a thief. And my mother! To forsake my father, who was like Hyperion, the sun god, and bind herself to this demon! Where is her judgment, where is her reason?”

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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