Basic Details
Word: Forfeit
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To lose something or have it taken away because you broke a rule or did not do what you had to. As a noun, a forfeit is the thing lost as a penalty.
Synonyms: lose, surrender, give up
Antonyms: keep, retain, win
How to Spell Forfeit
Syllables: for - feit
Tricky part: The second part is spelt feit, with e before i, even though it sounds like fit. This breaks the usual i before e rule.
Watch out for: forfiet, forfit, forefeit
Memory tip: Forfeit, counterfeit and surfeit all end in the same four letters: f-e-i-t. Learn them as a set of three.
Usage Examples
Example 1: If you lose your library card twice, you forfeit the right to borrow books for a month.
Example 2: The cyclist had to forfeit his medal after breaking the race rules.
Example 3: In our party game, anyone who laughs pays a forfeit and has to sing a song.
Fun Fact
The Old French forfet meant a crime. In English the word first meant the wrongdoing itself and only later the penalty paid for it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Because they reached the stadium forty minutes late, the visiting team had to forfiet the semi-final and travel home without playing a single over.
a) stadium
b) visiting
c) forfiet
d) single
Show answer
c) forfiet. This is one of the words that break i before e: forfeit has e first.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of 'forfeit' as it is used in the sentence:
If you miss the deadline, you will forfeit your deposit.
a) surrender
b) lose
c) retain
d) pay
Show answer
c) retain. To forfeit a deposit is to lose it; to retain it is to keep it.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The batsman's rude remark to the umpire made his team tefiorf the match.
a) profit
b) fortify
c) forget
d) forfeit
Show answer
d) forfeit. The jumble has two f's, an e and an i; fortify, forget and profit cannot be made from it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A player who forfeits a game ____.
a) plays it a second time
b) wins it without trying
c) loses it without finishing
d) ends it in a draw
Show answer
c) loses it without finishing
2. Which noun means the act of forfeiting something?
a) forfeitment
b) forfeitance
c) forfeiture
d) forfeition
Show answer
c) forfeiture
