forest
Americannoun
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a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; woodland.
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the trees on such a tract.
to cut down a forest.
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a tract of wooded grounds in England formerly belonging to the sovereign and set apart for game.
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a thick cluster of vertical objects.
a forest of church spires.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants
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the trees of such an area
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an area planted with exotic pines or similar trees Compare bush 1
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something resembling a large wooded area, esp in density
a forest of telegraph poles
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law (formerly) an area of woodland, esp one owned by the sovereign and set apart as a hunting ground with its own laws and officers Compare park
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(modifier) of, involving, or living in a forest or forests
a forest glade
verb
Usage
What does forest mean? A forest is a large area of land that’s covered in trees. The word forest can also refer collectively to those trees.An area that’s covered in trees can be described with the adjective forested.Less commonly, forest can be used as a verb meaning to cover an area with trees. This sense of the word is used in the terms deforestation (the clearing of a forested area) and reforesting (planting trees in a woodland that has been deforested or destroyed by a forest fire).Sometimes, forest is used in a figurative way to refer to a collection of vertical objects clustered together, as in Many of these new cities look like forests of skyscrapers. Example: We were deep in the forest, with no roads or buildings for miles.
Related Words
Forest, grove, wood refer to an area covered with trees. A forest is an extensive area, preserving some or all of its primitive wildness and usually having game or wild animals in it: Sherwood Forest; the Black Forest. A grove is a group or cluster of trees, usually not very large in area and cleared of underbrush. It is usually tended or cultivated: a shady grove; a grove of pines; an orange grove; a walnut grove. Woods (or a wood ) resembles a forest but is a smaller tract of land, less wild in character, and generally closer to civilization: lost in the woods; a wood covering several acres.
Other Word Forms
- forest-like adjective
- forestal adjective
- forested adjective
- forestial adjective
- forestless adjective
- forestlike adjective
- nonforest noun
- nonforested adjective
- unforested adjective
- well-forested adjective
Etymology
Origin of forest
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) “an unenclosed wood” (as opposed to a park), derivative of Latin forīs “outside.” foreign
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Typical of Keaton’s inventive sound design, forest sounds, including birds chirping, are heard.
"When it was forest, it was not theirs. But after Cambodians built concrete homes, they said it was their land," he told AFP.
From Barron's
Usman suspects the attackers emerged from the forested areas near the Kainji Lake National Park, where the militants are known to operate.
From BBC
So earlier this week, Anthropic’s announcement of an AI tool for legal services was like a match tossed into a dry forest.
Many are ephemeral; fleeting leaf sculptures that blow away into the forest or giant snowballs placed in the city of London which melted to disclose sticks and stones.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
