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Webster 1913 Edition

Forfeit

For′feit

,
Noun.
[OE.
forfet
crime, penalty, F.
forfait
crime (LL.
forefactum
,
forifactum
), prop. p. p. of
forfaire
to forfeit, transgress, fr. LL.
forifacere
, prop., to act beyond; L.
foris
out of doors, abroad, beyond +
facere
to do. See
Foreign
, and
Fact
.]
1.
Injury; wrong; mischief.
[Obs. & R.]
To seek arms upon people and country that never did us any
forfeit
.
Ld. Berners.
2.
A thing forfeit or forfeited; what is or may be taken from one in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, offense, neglect of duty, or breach of contract; hence, a fine; a mulct; a penalty;
as, he who murders pays the
forfeit
of his life
.
Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal
Remit thy other
forfeits
.
Shakespeare
3.
Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine; – whence the game of forfeits.
Country dances and
forfeits
shortened the rest of the day.
Goldsmith.

For′feit

,
Adj.
[F.
forfait
, p. p. of
forfaire
. See
Forfeit
,
Noun.
]
Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
Thy wealth being
forfeit
to the state.
Shakespeare
To tread the
forfeit
paradise.
Emerson.

For′feit

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Forfeited
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Forfeiting
.]
[OE.
forfeten
. See
Forfeit
,
Noun.
]
To lose, or lose the right to, by some error, fault, offense, or crime; to render one’s self by misdeed liable to be deprived of; to alienate the right to possess, by some neglect or crime;
as, to
forfeit
an estate by treason; to
forfeit
reputation by a breach of promise
; – with to before the one acquiring what is forfeited.
[They] had
forfeited
their property by their crimes.
Burke.
Undone and
forfeited
to cares forever!
Shakespeare

For′feit

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
[Obs.]
2.
To fail to keep an obligation.
[Obs.]
I will have the heart of him if he
forfeit
.
Shakespeare

For′feit

,
p.
p.
or
Adj.
In the condition of being forfeited; subject to alienation.
Shak.
Once more I will renew
His lapsèd powers, though
forfeite
.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Forfeit

FOR'FEIT

,
Verb.
T.
for'fit. [Low L. forisfacere, from L. foris, out or abroad, and facio, to make.]
To lose or render confiscable, by some fault, offense or crime; to lose the right to some species of property or that which belongs to one; to alienate the right to possess by some neglect or crime; as, to forfeit an estate by a breach of the condition of tenure or by treason. By the ancient laws of England, a man forfeited his estate by neglecting or refusing to fulfill the conditions on which it was granted to him, or by a breach of fealty. A man now forfeits his estate by committing treason. A man forfeits his honor or reputation by a breach of promise, and by any criminal or disgraceful act. Statutes declare that by certain acts a man shall forfeit a certain sum of money. Under the feudal system, the right to the land forfeited, vested in the lord or superior. In modern times, the right to things forfeited is generally regulated by statutes; it is vested in the state, in corporations, or in prosecutors or informers, or partly in the state or a corporation, and partly in an individual.
The duelist, to secure the reputation of bravery, forfeits the esteem of good men, and the favor of heaven.

FOR'FEIT

,
Noun.
for'fit. [Low L. forisfactura.]
1.
That which is forfeited or lost, or the right to which is alienated by a crime, offense, neglect of duty, or breach of contract; hence, a fine; a mulet; a penalty. He that murders pays the forfeit of his life. When a statute creates a penalty for a transgression, either in money or in corporal punishment, the offender who, on conviction, pays the money or suffers the punishment, pays the forfeit.
2.
One whose life is forfeited. [Not in use.]

FOR'FEIT

, part. a. used for forfeited. Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
And his long toils were forfeit for a look.

Definition 2024

forfeit

forfeit

English

Noun

forfeit ‎(plural forfeits)

  1. A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
    That he our deadly forfeit should release (John Milton, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, 1629)
  2. A thing forfeited; that which is taken from somebody in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, breach of contract, etc.
    He who murders pays the forfeit of his own life.
    • Shakespeare
      Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal / Remit thy other forfeits.
  3. Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine as part of a game.
    • Goldsmith
      Country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day.
  4. (obsolete, rare) Injury; wrong; mischief.
    • Ld. Berners
      to seek arms upon people and country that never did us any forfeit

Translations

Verb

forfeit ‎(third-person singular simple present forfeits, present participle forfeiting, simple past and past participle forfeited)

  1. To suffer the loss of something by wrongdoing or non-compliance
    He forfeited his last chance of an early release from jail by repeatedly attacking another inmate.
  2. To lose a contest, game, match, or other form of competition by voluntary withdrawal, by failing to attend or participate, or by violation of the rules
    Because only nine players were present, the football team was forced to forfeit the game.
  3. To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
  4. To fail to keep an obligation.
    • Shakespeare
      I will have the heart of him if he forfeit.

Usage notes

  • Very rarely, forfeit is used as the past tense form and past participle (i.e., the past tense forms and the present tense form are homographs).

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

forfeit ‎(not comparable)

  1. Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
    • Shakespeare
      thy wealth being forfeit to the state
    • Emerson
      to tread the forfeit paradise

Etymology

Middle English from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait ‎(“crime”), originally the past participle of forfaire ‎(“to transgress”), and Medieval Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.

Pronunciation

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