forest
Americannoun
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a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; woodland.
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the trees on such a tract.
to cut down a forest.
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a tract of wooded grounds in England formerly belonging to the sovereign and set apart for game.
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a thick cluster of vertical objects.
a forest of church spires.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants
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the trees of such an area
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an area planted with exotic pines or similar trees Compare bush 1
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something resembling a large wooded area, esp in density
a forest of telegraph poles
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law (formerly) an area of woodland, esp one owned by the sovereign and set apart as a hunting ground with its own laws and officers Compare park
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(modifier) of, involving, or living in a forest or forests
a forest glade
verb
Usage
What does forest mean? A forest is a large area of land that’s covered in trees. The word forest can also refer collectively to those trees.An area that’s covered in trees can be described with the adjective forested.Less commonly, forest can be used as a verb meaning to cover an area with trees. This sense of the word is used in the terms deforestation (the clearing of a forested area) and reforesting (planting trees in a woodland that has been deforested or destroyed by a forest fire).Sometimes, forest is used in a figurative way to refer to a collection of vertical objects clustered together, as in Many of these new cities look like forests of skyscrapers. Example: We were deep in the forest, with no roads or buildings for miles.
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- forest-like adjective
- forestal adjective
- forested adjective
- forestial adjective
- forestless adjective
- forestlike adjective
- nonforest noun
- nonforested adjective
- unforested adjective
- well-forested adjective
Etymology
Origin of forest
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) “an unenclosed wood” (as opposed to a park), derivative of Latin forīs “outside.” foreign
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Maoists said they were fighting for the rights of marginalised indigenous people in forest regions, where mining companies also eye valuable resources.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Blankfein added that the long period without a financial crisis cleansing process meant ”you accumulate tinder on the floor of the forest and eventually a spark will come.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
Land-based removals are vulnerable to reversal—for example, if a carbon-sink forest were to catch fire—according to the European Environmental Bureau, which groups together nearly 200 green groups across the continents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Among the world's most endangered macaques, these forest primates now survive in small, fragmented populations as human activity eats into their habitat.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
A low hum rose from the forest floor, as though every rock and root were vibrating, every bush and bough whispering.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
