forebear

Also for·bear

[fawr-bair, fohr-]

noun

1. Usually forebears ancestors; forefathers.

forebear

/ ˈfɔːˌbɛə /

noun

1. an ancestor; forefather

Word History and Origins

Origin of forebear¹

1425–75; Middle English (Scots), equivalent to fore- fore- + -bear “being,” variant of beer; be, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Members of the Nama ethnic group—whose forebears were ousted from their land by German colonial authorities 120 years ago—in June filed a complaint with the United Nations.

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McKinnon, who is Black, offers a brief history of Black people in the Marine Corps as lived by his forebears.

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She also believes that it is important for the Muslim community to be aware of their forebears who "volunteered for service voluntarily and gave of their best".

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Current eugenics rhetoric is, like its forebear, fundamentally incoherent.

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The vice-president is believed to be staying in Ayrshire, just north of Galloway, the area he says his forebears left in the 17th Century.

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Related Words

• forefather