for
Idioms about for
Origin of for
Other definitions for for (2 of 5)
Origin of for-
Other definitions for for (3 of 5)
Other definitions for for (4 of 5)
Other definitions for for (5 of 5)
or f.o.r.
WORDS THAT USE FOR-
What does for- mean?
For– is a prefix with a variety of meanings, including “away” or “off.” It is often used in a variety of everyday terms.
For– comes from Old English for, meaning roughly “forward” or “forth.”
What are variants of for-?
When used in the sense of “before,” “in front,” or “on behalf of,” for– occasionally becomes fore-, as in forearm. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on fore–.
Examples of for-
One example of a word that features the form for– is forbid, “to command (a person) not to do something.” Forbid comes from the Old English forbēodan, which uses the equivalent of for– in that language.
The form for– here means “off.” The –bid part of the word means “to command,” from Old English biddan. Forbid roughly means “to command off.”
What are some words that use the combining form for-?
What are some other forms that for– may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that begins with the exact letters for-, such as forb or fork, is necessarily using the combining form for– to denote “away” or “off.” Learn why forb means “herb” at our entry for the word.
Break it down!
Given the meaning of the prefix for-, what does forswear literally mean?
WHEN TO USE
What are other ways to say for?
The conjunction for means “seeing that” or “since.” Do you know when to use for, since, because, as, and inasmuch as? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.