Adjacent Words

Forfeit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOR'FEIT, v.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, n. 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.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: surrendered as a penalty [syn: confiscate, forfeit, forfeited] n
1: something that is lost or surrendered as a penalty; [syn: forfeit, forfeiture]
2: a penalty for a fault or mistake that involves losing or giving up something; "the contract specified forfeits if the work was not completed on time" [syn: forfeit, forfeiture]
3: the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc. [syn: forfeit, forfeiture, sacrifice] v
1: lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime; "you've forfeited your right to name your successor"; "forfeited property" [syn: forfeit, give up, throw overboard, waive, forgo, forego] [ant: arrogate, claim, lay claim]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English forfait, from Anglo-French, from past participle of forfaire, forsfaire to commit a crime, forfeit, from fors outside (from Latin foris) + faire to do, from Latin facere — more at forum, do Date: 14th century 1. something forfeited or subject to being forfeited (as for a crime, offense, or neglect of duty) ; penalty 2. forfeiture especially of civil rights 3. a. something deposited (as for making a mistake in a game) and then redeemed on payment of a fine b. plural a game in which forfeits are exacted II. transitive verb Date: 14th century 1. to lose or lose the right to especially by some error, offense, or crime 2. to subject to confiscation as a forfeit; also abandon, give up • forfeitable adjective • forfeiter noun III. adjective Date: 14th century forfeited or subject to forfeiture

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n., adj., & v. --n. 1 a penalty for a breach of contract or neglect; a fine. 2 a a trivial fine for a breach of rules in clubs etc. or in games. b (in pl.) a game in which forfeits are exacted. 3 something surrendered as a penalty. 4 the process of forfeiting. 5 Law property or a right or privilege lost as a legal penalty. --adj. lost or surrendered as a penalty. --v.tr. (forfeited, forfeiting) lose the right to, be deprived of, or have to pay as a penalty. Derivatives: forfeitable adj. forfeiter n. forfeiture n. Etymology: ME (= crime) f. OF forfet, forfait past part. of forfaire transgress (f. L foris outside) + faire f. L facere do

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Forfeit For"feit, n. [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. --Shak. 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Forfeit For"feit, a. [F. forfait, p. p. of forfaire. See Forfeit, n.] Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure. Thy wealth being forfeit to the state. --Shak. To tread the forfeit paradise. --Emerson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Forfeit For"feit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Forfeited; p. pr. & vb. n. Forfeiting.] [OE. forfeten. See Forfeit, n.] 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! --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Forfeit For"feit, v. 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. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Forfeit For"feit, p. p. or a. In the condition of being forfeited; subject to alienation. --Shak. Once more I will renew His laps[`e]d powers, though forfeite. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(forfeits, forfeiting, forfeited) 1. If you forfeit something, you lose it or are forced to give it up because you have broken a rule or done something wrong. He was ordered to forfeit more than £1.5m in profits... He argues that murderers forfeit their own right to life. VERB: V n, V n 2. If you forfeit something, you give it up willingly, especially so that you can achieve something else. He has forfeited a lucrative fee but feels his well-being is more important... VERB: V n 3. A forfeit is something that you have to give up because you have done something wrong. That is the forfeit he must pay. = penalty N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for'-fit (charam):

"Forfeit" (from forisfacere, "to act beyond") implies loss through transgression or non-observance of some law or rule. The word occurs only once as the translation of charam, "to shut in," frequently to devote or consecrate a person or thing to God beyond redemption (compare Le 27:28,29; Mic 4:13; Ezr 10:8, "That whosoever came not within three days, .... all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity," King James Version margin, the American Revised Version, margin and the Revised Version (British and American) "devoted"; compare /APC 1Esdras 9:4, "Their cattle should be seized to the use of the temple" (anieroo, "to consecrate," "devote"); 6:32, "all his goods seized for the king" (ta huparchonia autou einai (eis) basilika)).

The Revised Version (British and American) has "forfeited" (qadhesh, "consecrated,'; "devoted") for "defiled" (De 22:9), margin "Hebrew consecrated"; "forfeit his life" for "lose his own soul" (psuche) (Mt 16:26; Mr 8:36); "lose or forfeit his own self" for "lose himself or be cast away" (Lu 9:25, heauton de apolesas e zemiotheis; zemioo is the Septuagint for `anash, "to be mulcted," or "fined," Ex 21:22; De 22:19; Pr 17:26; 19:19; 21:11; 22:3); Weymouth renders Lu 9:25, "to have lost or forfeited his own self" (or "had to pay his own self--his own existence--as a fine"); in the other instances of zemioo (1Co 3:15; Php 3:8), the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) render "suffer loss," "suffered .... loss"; 2Co 7:9 the King James Version, "receive damage."

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Fine, mulct, amercement, penalty, forfeiture. II. v. a. Lose (by some offence, by neglect, or by breach of condition), alienate.

Moby Thesaurus

amercement, be bereaved of, bereavement, caution, caution money, charge, collateral, collateral security, cost, damage, damages, dead loss, debit, default, denial, denudation, deposit, deprivation, despoilment, destruction, detriment, dispossession, distraint, distress, divestment, drop, escheat, escheatment, expense, fee, fine, forfeiture, forgo, forgone, give over, give up, go astray from, incur loss, injury, kiss good-bye, let slip, lose, lose out, loser, losing, losing streak, loss, lost, margin, mislay, misplace, miss, mulct, penalty, perdition, privation, relinquish, relinquished, renounce, renounced, robbery, ruin, sacrifice, sconce, sequestration, spoliation, stake, stripping, suffer loss, surrender, surrendered, taking away, total loss, undergo privation, waive, waived, wander from, yielded