To forgo something is to choose not to have it, or not to do it, even though it would be pleasant. You give it up on purpose: dessert, a holiday, extra pay. It sounds a little more careful and grown-up than skip or give up — you meet it in writing and polite speech more than in playground talk. Though actually, you forgo something that was on offer; you do not forgo a thing that was never yours to take. And it is not forget: if you forgo lunch, you know about lunch and you still say no. Careful writers keep forgo for “do without” and forego for “go before” (as in the foregoing remarks). In everyday life many people mix the two spellings, and even good writers sometimes write forego when they mean forgo.