forbear
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to refrain; hold back.
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to be patient or self-controlled when subject to annoyance or provocation.
verb
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to cease or refrain (from doing something)
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archaic to tolerate or endure (misbehaviour, mistakes, etc)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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forbearernoun
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nonforbearingadjective
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unforbearingadjective
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forbearinglyadverb
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nonforbearinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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forbearsimple
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forbearssimple
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have forborneperfect
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has forborneperfect
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am forbearingprogressive
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are forbearingprogressive
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is forbearingprogressive
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have been forbearingperfect progressive
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has been forbearingperfect progressive
Past
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forboresimple
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had forborneperfect
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was forbearingprogressive
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were forbearingprogressive
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had been forbearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forbear
First recorded before 900; Middle English forberen, Old English forberan “to refrain from, abstain; spare, excuse”; see origin at for-, bear 1
Explanation
When you forbear, you hold yourself back from doing something. If you're mad at your best friend, you might forbear to return her text messages for a while. If you forbear to giggle during your teacher's stern lecture, that's a good thing. You keep yourself from laughing out loud, even though that's instinctively what you want to do. The Old English root, forberan, means "control one's feelings, or tolerate." A less common way to use forbear is as a noun meaning "ancestor." So if you're refraining from reading about your ancestors, you can say you forbear to learn about your forbears.
Vocabulary lists containing forbear
Romeo and Juliet
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Grade 11, List 6
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The Hobbit
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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.
So, at the end of the day, this guy seems trustworthy enough to bear arms.
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026
The tactic has had some success, particularly during the capture of the Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk late last year, although it can take a long time to bear fruit.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
In California, the households most likely to bear that cost are those that can least afford it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
“What it really brings to bear is that it can construct attack chains,” said Rajat Taneja, Visa’s president of technology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
The terrible truth of their helplessness is almost too much to bear.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
