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definitions

forbear

1
[ fawr-bair ]
/ fɔrˈbɛər /
||
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verb (used with object), for·bore, for·borne, for·bear·ing.

to refrain or abstain from; desist from.
to keep back; withhold.
Obsolete. to endure.

verb (used without object), for·bore, for·borne, for·bear·ing.

to refrain; hold back.
to be patient or self-controlled when subject to annoyance or provocation.

RELATED WORDS

decline, inhibit, abstain, stop, avoid, omit, escape, forgo, refrain, withhold, desist, pause, cease, evade, eschew, shun, restrain, curb, keep, bridle

Nearby words

  1. forasmuchas,
  2. foray,
  3. forb,
  4. forbad,
  5. forbade,
  6. forbearance,
  7. forbearing,
  8. forbes,
  9. forbes disease,
  10. forbes-robertson

Origin of forbear

1
before 900; Middle English forberen, Old English forberan. See for-, bear1
Related forms

forbear

2
[ fawr-bair ]
/ ˈfɔrˌbɛər /

noun

forebear.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for forbear

British Dictionary definitions for forbear

forbear

1
/ (fɔːˈbɛə) /

verb -bears, -bearing, -bore or -borne

(when intr, often foll by from or an infinitive) to cease or refrain (from doing something)
archaic to tolerate or endure (misbehaviour, mistakes, etc)
Derived Formsforbearer, nounforbearingly, adverb

Word Origin for forbear

Old English forberan; related to Gothic frabairan to endure

noun

a variant spelling of forebear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for forbear
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper