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

foresight, foreskin, foresleeve, forespeak, forespent, forest, forest green, forest grove, forest hill, forest of dean, forest park

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forest ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Definition for forest (2 of 3)

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 confused

for fore four

Definition for forest (3 of 3)

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 (1 of 4)

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 Forms

forestal 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

British Dictionary definitions for forest (2 of 4)

De Forest

/ (də ˈfɒrɪst) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for forest (3 of 4)

fore

/ (fɔː) /

adjective

(usually in combination) located at, in, or towards the frontthe forelegs of a horse

noun

the front part

something located at, in, or towards the front

short for foremast

fore and aft located at or directed towards both ends of a vessela fore-and-aft rig

to the fore

to or into the front or conspicuous position
Scot and Irish alive or activeis your grandfather still to the fore?

adverb

at or towards a ship's bow

obsolete before

preposition, conjunction

a less common word for before

Word Origin for fore

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

British Dictionary definitions for forest (4 of 4)

fore

/ (fɔː) /

interjection

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

Word Origin for fore

C19: probably short for before

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