fore

¹

[ fawr ]

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 ( def 4 ).
3. Obsolete. before.

noun

1. the forepart of anything; front.
2. the fore, Nautical. the foremast.

preposition

1. Also 'fore. Informal. before.

fore

²

[ fawr, fohr ]

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

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

   forehead; forecastle; forecast; foretell; foreman.

fore

¹

/ fɔː /

interjection

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

fore

²

/ 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. fore and aft
   located at or directed towards both ends of a vessel

   a fore-and-aft rig

5. to the fore
   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-

³

prefix

1. before in time or rank

   foresight

   forefather

   foreman

2. at or near the front; before in place

   forehead

   forecourt

Word History and Origins

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 fore³

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fore¹

C19: probably short for before

Origin of fore²

Old English; related to Old Saxon, Old High German fora , Gothic faura , Greek para , Sanskrit pura

Origin of fore³

Old English, from fore (adv)

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. fore and aft, Nautical. 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.

More idioms and phrases containing fore

• to the fore

Example Sentences

Since then, the rising gap between the rich and middle- and lower-income families has risen to the fore.

From The Daily Beast

In talking to experts in the field, only a few women immediately came to the fore.

From The Daily Beast

Usually, though, old-fashioned Liberalism is very much at the fore in Puck.

From The Daily Beast

The fore and aft have beautiful decks carved into them, and windows from various rooms too: it looks like a floating Apple device.

From The Daily Beast

But this is the sort of mentality that comes to the fore in a bubble.

From The Daily Beast

His drill-like nose, his powerful fore-legs and big, strong feet all served to make him the fastest digger in Pleasant Valley.

From Project Gutenberg

If we hustle right smart we can get a pen done 'fore dark, let alone gettin' them cattle into a shed.

From Project Gutenberg

With what honest pride did John Smith, the best farmer of them all, step to the fore and assign to each man his place!

From Project Gutenberg

With his head between his fore-paws and one eye closed, he watches the tiny tongue of flame licking up the last coal.

From Project Gutenberg

The pustule on the fore finger shews the disease in an earlier stage.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use fore-

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.

Examples of fore-

One example of a word that you may have encountered that features the prefix fore– is forebode, “to foretell or predict; be an omen of; portend.”

The prefix fore– means “before.” The –bode part of the word is a verb meaning “to be an omen of” or “portend,” from Old English bodian. Forebode literally means “to portend before (something).”

What are some words that use the prefix fore-?

• forecast
• forehead
• foreknowledge
• forerunner
• foresight

What are some other forms that fore– may be commonly confused with?

• flor-
• flori-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters fore-, such as forensic or foreign, is necessarily using the prefix fore– to denote “before.” Learn why forensic means “rhetorical” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

Given the meaning of the prefix fore-, what is foreknowledge?