forest

[ fawr-ist, for- ]

/ ˈfɔr ɪst, ˈfɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; woodland.

the trees on such a tract: to cut down a forest.

a tract of wooded grounds in England formerly belonging to the sovereign and set apart for game.

a thick cluster of vertical objects: a forest of church spires.

verb (used with object)

to supply or cover with trees; convert into a forest.

Nearby words

Origin of forest

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin forestis (silva) an unenclosed wood (as opposed to a park), derivative of Latin forīs outside. Cf. foreign

SYNONYMS FOR forest

1. Forest, grove, wood refer to an area covered with trees. A forest is an extensive area, preserving some or all of its primitive wildness and usually having game or wild animals in it: Sherwood Forest; the Black Forest. A grove is a group or cluster of trees, usually not very large in area and cleared of underbrush. It is usually tended or cultivated: a shady grove; a grove of pines; an orange grove; a walnut grove. Woods (or a wood ) resembles a forest but is a smaller tract of land, less wild in character, and generally closer to civilization: lost in the woods; a wood covering several acres.

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Related forms

for·est·al, fo·res·tial

[fuh-res-chuh l] /fəˈrɛs tʃəl/, adjectivefor·est·ed, adjectivefor·est·less, adjectivefor·est·like, adjective

non·for·est, nounnon·for·est·ed, adjectiveun·for·est·ed, adjectivewell-for·est·ed, adjective

fore

[ fawr, fohr ]

/ fɔr, foʊr /

adjective

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

first in place, time, order, rank, etc.; forward; earlier.

Nautical.

of or relating to a foremast.
noting a sail, yard, boom, etc., or any rigging belonging to a fore lower mast or to some upper mast of a foremast.
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.
situated at or toward the bow of a vessel; forward.

adverb

Nautical. at or toward the bow.

forward.

Obsolete. before.

noun

the forepart of anything; front.

the fore, Nautical. the foremast.

preposition, conjunction

Also 'fore. Informal. before.

Origin of fore

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

Can be confusedfor fore four

De Forest

[ di fawr-ist, for- ]

/ dɪ ˈfɔr ɪst, ˈfɒr- /

noun

Lee,1873–1961, U.S. inventor of radio, telegraphic, and telephonic equipment.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for forest

He first rose to prominence as a lawyer in Queens, who settled a boiling racial dispute over public housing in Forest Hills.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“It fundamentally changes the architecture of forest canopies,” says Watson.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The birds poop all over the forest, and thanks to the viscin, the mistletoe seeds in said poop stick to branches.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, most of the suffering species ate insects on the forest floor.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

From the looks of it, mistletoe is a keystone species and plays a crucial role in that forest ecosystem.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You may kill one—two—ten; yes, as many as the leaves in the forest yonder, and their brothers will not miss them.
The Feast of the Virgins and Other Poems|H. L. Gordon
They are the true children of the forest and the wilderness.
A Little Girl in Old Detroit|Amanda Minnie Douglas
The two women would sally forth by the postern door, and make for the forest.
The Lost Treasure of Trevlyn|Evelyn Everett-Green
The women are supposed to have a very easy time in the forest, whereas the men have hard work.
The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha|Ellen H. Walworth
A man of seventy and a boy of fourteen were running for the forest.
The Scouts of the Valley|Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for forest

forest

/ (ˈfɒrɪst) /

noun

a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants

the trees of such an area

NZ an area planted with exotic pines or similar treesCompare bush 1 (def. 4)

something resembling a large wooded area, esp in densitya forest of telegraph poles

law (formerly) an area of woodland, esp one owned by the sovereign and set apart as a hunting ground with its own laws and officersCompare park (def. 5)

(modifier) of, involving, or living in a forest or forestsa forest glade

verb

(tr) to create a forest (in); plant with trees

Derived Formsforestal or foresteal (fəˈrɛstɪəl), adjectiveforested, adjectiveforestless, adjectiveforest-like, adjective

Word Origin for forest

C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin forestis unfenced woodland, from Latin foris outside

De Forest

/ (də ˈfɒrɪst) /

noun

Lee. 1873–1961, US inventor of telegraphic, telephonic, and radio equipment: patented the first triode valve (1907)