fore

¹ American  

[fawr] / fɔr /

adjective

1. situated at or toward the front, as compared with something else.

2. previous; earlier.

   cities that existed in a fore time.

3. Nautical.

   1. of or relating to a foremast.

   2. noting a sail, yard, boom, etc., or any rigging belonging to a fore lower mast or to some upper mast of a foremast.

   3. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a fore lower mast or to some specified upper mast of a foremast.

      fore topmast stay.

   4. situated at or toward the bow of a vessel; forward.

---

adverb

1. Nautical. at or toward the bow.

2. forward.

3. Obsolete. before.

noun

1. the forepart of anything; front.

2. Nautical. the fore, the foremast.

preposition

1. Informal. Also 'fore before.

idioms

1. fore and aft, in, at, or to both ends of a ship.

2. to the fore,

   1. into a conspicuous place or position; to or at the front.

   2. at hand; ready; available.

   3. still alive.

fore ² American  

[fawr, fohr] / fɔr, foʊr /

interjection

Golf.

1. (used as a cry of warning to persons on a course who are in danger of being struck by the ball.)

---

fore- ³ American  

1. a prefix meaning “before” (in space, time, condition, etc.), “front,” “superior,” etc..

   forehead; forecastle; forecast; foretell; foreman.

---

fore ¹ British  

/ fɔː /

adjective

1. (usually in combination) located at, in, or towards the front

   the forelegs of a horse

---

noun

1. the front part

2. something located at, in, or towards the front

3. short for foremast

4. located at or directed towards both ends of a vessel

   a fore-and-aft rig

5. 1. to or into the front or conspicuous position

   2. alive or active

      is your grandfather still to the fore?

adverb

1. at or towards a ship's bow

2. obsolete before

preposition

1. a less common word for before

fore- ² British  

prefix

1. before in time or rank

   foresight

   forefather

   foreman

2. at or near the front; before in place

   forehead

   forecourt

---

fore ³ British  

/ fɔː /

interjection

1. (in golf) a warning shout made by a player about to make a shot

---

fore More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fore

• to the fore

---

Usage

What does fore- mean? Fore- is a prefix meaning “before,” "front," or "superior." It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms. In some terms, such as fore-check, the prefix is separated from the second element with a hyphen.Fore- comes from Old English for(e), meaning “before” or “front.” The Latin cognate and translation is prae “before,” which is the source of pre-, as in prefix and preposition. Learn more at our entry for each word.

Etymology

Origin of fore¹

By construal of fore- as an adjective, hence nominalized; fore and aft perhaps as translation of Dutch or Low German; sense “before” fore ¹ ( defs. 6, 9 ) perhaps continuation of Middle English, Old English fore in this sense, or as shortening of afore

Origin of fore²

First recorded in 1875–80; probably shortening of before

Origin of fore-³

Combining form representing Middle English, Old English for ( e )

Example Sentences

Kotb returned this week to serve as a reassuring presence, keeping the mood uplifted while reminding viewers that the Guthries remain at the fore of their thoughts.

From Salon

The societal changes identified by Morgan Stanley are headlined by a surprising magnitude of job losses resulting from the adoption of AI and also an emphasis on health with weight-loss drugs increasingly to the fore.

From MarketWatch

Gathering anxieties seemed to come to the fore this week.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the death of his elderly, infirm father, King Salman, could soon bring succession issues to the fore.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead of narration, unobtrusive captions appeared on screen with price, provenance or other details about various market items, leaving room for the ambient sounds to come to the fore.

From The Wall Street Journal