Forgo: A question for natives
English has been part of my life since 2001 and I am always expanding my vocabulary by reading, which means that hardly ever I find something weird.

Last night I was "having some fun" with my Longman Dictionary and I found a word that got me curious and even after searching on Google this word still freaks me out:

*FORGO*
Forwent (past tense)
Forgone (past participle)
Forgoing (present participle)

Could some natives tell me if this word is an old fashioned one (or not...), and give me a few examples of how I can use it etc?

Thanks in advance

Question

Forgo: A question for natives
English has been part of my life since 2001 and I am always expanding my vocabulary by reading, which means that hardly ever I find something weird.

Last night I was "having some fun" with my Longman Dictionary and I found a word that got me curious and even after searching on Google this word still freaks me out:

*FORGO* 
Forwent (past tense)
Forgone (past participle)
Forgoing (present participle)

Could some natives tell me if this word is an old fashioned one (or not...), and give me a few examples of how I can use it etc?

Thanks in advance

Answer

It's a formal word that would sound outdated and/or inappropriate in most contexts. Very few native speakers ever use this word. You can stop freaking out and just forget about it.

Answer

Lawyers and judges use it because it is a term which sometimes appears in legislation or formally written contracts but it is rather too formal for most contexts.
Example: if the plaintiff forgoes his claim for compensation and accepts the defendant's counter- offer the case can be quickly settled.

Answer

I use it and hear it occasionally, and it doesn't sound formal at all where I'm from. I just consider it a normal word. However, where I live isn't at all representative of standard English. I still use and hear the word forbye as well :D

A common situation where I'd use "forgo" would be in a sentence like this: "I think I'll forgo the shave." ---> "I think I'll go without shaving."

Anyway, it's not a word you'll need in your working vocabulary when speaking to the majority of native English-speakers.

Answer

Sheesh, I use both "wanna" and "forgo"; words at extreme (and evidently equally unwelcome) ends of the formal spectrum. :P

But I am weird, and arguably inappropriate. You can, if you're still interested, say things like "I think I'll forgo the soup and dive straight into the entree." But you absolutely never need to use that word, and you could just as easily say "skip."