What does forfeiter mean?
Forfeiter is a formal noun for a person who gives up a right, claim, possession, or privilege. The loss may result from a deliberate choice, such as accepting a settlement, or from failure to satisfy a condition, such as missing a deadline. In legal and administrative contexts, a forfeiter is therefore the person whose action or default causes a right or entitlement to be lost; the related noun forfeiture can refer both to that loss and to the interest that has been lost. The word has a strongly institutional tone and is much less usual in everyday speech than relinquish, surrender, or give up. It is also narrower than abandoner, because its central meaning concerns the relinquishment or loss of a formally recognized right rather than the abandonment of a person, place, or activity. Depending on the applicable rules, a forfeiter might lose bail, leasehold rights, prize money, benefits, or contractual claims. Although uncommon, the term is useful in legal writing because it identifies the person while preserving the distinction between that person and the forfeited interest or property.
nounA person who gives up or loses a right, claim, possession, or privilege, typically because of an agreement, legal proceeding, or failure to meet a condition.
- A person who forfeits, especially someone who gives up or loses a right, claim, possession, or privilege under an agreement, legal proceeding, or established rule.
"By accepting the settlement, the defendant became a forfeiter of any further claim against the company."
"By accepting the settlement, the defendant became a forfeiter of any further claim against the company."
"The tribunal ruled that the defaulting surety was a forfeiter of the bond."
The regular plural refers to multiple people who each give up or lose a right, claim, possession, or privilege.
"The tribunal listed the three defaulting tenants as forfeiters of their leases."
Its ancestor meant not merely "to give up," but literally "to do outside"—an act beyond lawful bounds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does forfeiter come from?
Forfeiter was formed in English by adding the agent-forming suffix -er to forfeit. Forfeit comes through Anglo-French and Old French from Latin foris facere, literally "to do outside," with foris meaning "outside" and facere meaning "to do." The same source underlies related English forms such as forfeiture and forfeitable.
How forfeiter is actually used
Rare, formal, and especially characteristic of legal, regulatory, and administrative prose. It is not normally used for general abandonment or renunciation unless a specific right or entitlement is being given up.
Easily confused with forfeiter
A forfeiter is the person who gives up or loses a right or entitlement, whereas forfeiture can refer to the act of losing it or to the right or property that has been lost.