forest

American  

[fawr-ist, for-] / ˈfɔr ɪst, ˈfɒr- /

noun

forests plural

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

2. the trees on such a tract.

   to cut down a forest.

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

4. a thick cluster of vertical objects.

   a forest of church spires.

---

verb (used with object)

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

forest British  

/ fəˈrɛstɪəl, ˈfɒrɪst /

noun

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

2. the trees of such an area

3. an area planted with exotic pines or similar trees Compare bush 1

4. something resembling a large wooded area, esp in density

   a forest of telegraph poles

5. 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

6. (modifier) of, involving, or living in a forest or forests

   a forest glade

---

verb

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

forest Scientific  

/ fôr′ĭst /

1. A growth of trees covering a large area. Forests exist in all regions of the Earth except for regions of extreme cold or dryness.

---

forest Idioms  

1. see can't see the forest for the trees.

---

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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• nonforest
  noun
• forest-like
  adjective
• forestal
  adjective
• forested
  adjective
• forestial
  adjective
• forestless
  adjective
• forestlike
  adjective
• nonforested
  adjective
• unforested
  adjective
• well-forested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forests
  plural

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.” Cf. foreign

Explanation

A forest is a densely wooded area, or land covered with trees and shrubs. As a verb it means to establish a forest where none existed before. Famous forests include the Sherwood Forest of Nottinghamshire, England, associated with legend of Robin Hood; the Black Forest of southwestern Germany, so named because it's so dense that very little light enters it; the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil (and 8 other countries of South America); and the forests that make up the Redwood National and State Parks of California, where you can find the tallest trees on earth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forest forests

This fog-shrouded patch of coastal forest in the heart of Yurok Country was tended by the tribe for millennia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

As firefighters in southwest France struggle to bring a forest inferno under control before yet another heatwave descends on the country, Filippi told AFP about the phenomenon.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Brown tree snakes have driven many of Guam's native forest birds to local extinction, and they cause hundreds of power outages each year by climbing utility poles and electrical equipment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Huge forest fires in south-west France and central Spain have displaced more than 220,000 people, with the French military drafted in to help and the Spanish government declaring a national emergency.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

I believed in the fairy-tale version of the forest until I was close to forty years old.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

The vineyards, which are mainly located to the east of Bordeaux, were largely spared by the fire, which is mainly burning through pine forests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of disturbances affecting old-growth forests, including drought and extreme wildfire.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

The unprecedented fires in France and Spain were fuelled by forests left tinder dry by successive heatwaves since May.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

So birds adapted for tropical forests use different acoustic building blocks, or motifs, to those from temperate regions.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

According to the old legend, she lurked in the dark forests that covered the slopes of St. Helens, the mountain that rose up over this whole valley.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

Related Words

• jungle
• park
• thicket
• timber
• wood
• woodland