forebear

[ fawr-bair, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌbɛər, ˈfoʊr- /

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See synonyms for: forebear / forebears on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually forebears . ancestors; forefathers.

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Also for·bear

[fawr-bair] /ˈfɔrˌbɛər/ .

Origin of forebear

1425–75; Middle English (Scots), equivalent to fore- fore- + -bear “being,” variant of beer; see be, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use forebear in a sentence

Should we live like our hunter-gatherer forebears, run barefoot and eat nothing but meat, nuts, and fruit?
Eat Like a Caveman? The Trouble With Paleo Living|Robert Herritt|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One imagines that the latest pope, a Jesuit, is familiar with the centuries of calumny that have been heaped upon his forebears.
Thank God Pope Francis Is a Jesuit|Jonathan Wright|March 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten the lessons learned by our Victorian forebears.
The Big Idea: How Commerce Spreads Contagion|Mark Harrison|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Cosmopolis protestors go a step beyond their real-world forebears.
In ‘Cosmopolis,’ Robert Pattinson Depicts Financial World Gone Mad|Alex Klein|August 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

At 65, he says, he has already lived longer than any of his male forebears going back three generations.
Bill Clinton Warns About Supreme Court Ruling Against Obamacare|Gail Sheehy|June 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Our forebears travelled the roads from necessity, and saw nothing save unromantic discomforts in their journeyings to and fro.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
But our forebears were composed of less delicate nerves and tougher thews and sinews than ourselves.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
Unfortunately, however, our forebears were not yet educated to a proper appreciation and admiration of scenery.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
But he seemed satisfied when Harry told him that the negro's forebears for many generations back had belonged to the Herndons.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
They and their forebears were compelled to forego some present ease and comfort, but always kept open the door to the future.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler

British Dictionary definitions for forebear

forebear

forbear

/ (ˈfɔːˌbɛə) /

noun

an ancestor; forefather

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

forebear

Origin of forebear

Words related to forebear

How to use forebear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forebear

forbear