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.

Even after its massive expenditures, Microsoft recently said its cloud-computing capacity was so constrained that it had to forsake external cloud sales to run its own operations.

From Barron's • May 29, 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

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

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2024

“We will not. … San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2023

Only when she saw the steep stairway disappearing into a bottomless black hole did her courage forsake her for a moment.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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