Dictionary.com

forbear

[ fawr-bair ]
/ fɔrˈbɛər /
See synonyms for: forbear / forbearing / forbore / forbearingly on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), for·bore [fawr-bawr], /fɔrˈbɔr/, for·borne [fawr-bawrn], /fɔrˈbɔrn/, for·bear·ing.

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

verb (used without object), for·bore [fawr-bawr], /fɔrˈbɔr/, for·borne [fawr-bawrn], /fɔrˈbɔrn/, for·bear·ing.

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

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Origin of forbear

First recorded before 900; Middle English forberen, Old English forberan “to refrain from, abstain; spare, excuse”; see origin at for-, bear1

OTHER WORDS FROM forbear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to forbear

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

Example sentences from the Web for forbear

British Dictionary definitions for forbear (1 of 2)

forbear1
/ (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 forms of forbear

forbearer, nounforbearingly, adverb

Word Origin for forbear

Old English forberan; related to Gothic frabairan to endure

British Dictionary definitions for forbear (2 of 2)

forbear2
/ (ˈfɔːˌbɛə) /

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