forbear

1 of 3

verb

for·​bear fȯr-ˈber 

fər-

forbore fȯr-ˈbȯr 

fər-

; forborne fȯr-ˈbȯrn 

fər-

; forbearing

transitive verb

1

: to hold oneself back from especially with an effort

forbore mentioning the incident

tried to forbear making rash judgments

2

obsolete : to do without

3

obsolete : to leave alone : shun

… forbear his presence …

—William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

1

: hold back, abstain

… have forborne from taking part in any controversy …

—Abraham Lincoln

2

: to control oneself when provoked : be patient

forbore with his friend's failings

forbearer noun

forbear

2 of 3

noun (1)

for·​bear

less common spelling of forebear

: ancestor, forefather

also : precursor

—usually used in plural

His forebears fought in the American Revolution.

forebear

3 of 3

noun (2)

fore·​bear ˈfȯr-ˌber 

variants or less commonly forbear

: ancestor, forefather

also : precursor

—usually used in plural

His forebears fought in the American Revolution.

Did you know?

Forebear (also spelled, less commonly, as forbear) was first used by our ancestors in the days of Middle English. Fore- means "coming before," just as in forefather, and -bear means "one that is." This -bear is not to be confused with the -bear in the unrelated verb forbear, which comes from Old English beran, meaning "to bear or carry." The -bear in the noun forebear is a combination of be-, from the verb be (or, more specifically, from been, an old dialect variant of be), and -ar, a form of the suffix -er, which we append to verbs to denote one that performs a specified action. In this case the "action" is simply existing or being—in other words, -bear implies one who is a "be-er."

Synonyms of forbear

Verb

• avoid
• keep (from)
• refrain (from)

Noun (2)

• ancestor
• grandfather
• father

Examples of forbear in a Sentence

Verb

He carefully forbore any mention of her name for fear of upsetting them.

We decided to forbear provoking him any further.

We decided to forbear from provoking him any further.

He forebore to mention her name.

Noun (2)

His forebears fought in the American Civil War.

his forebears came to America on the Mayflower

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some of the most outrageous scenes are between Stacy, who likes to act out, and her forbearing therapist (Will Arnett). —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 4 June 2026

If Mamdani seems curiously forbearing toward Amin, given his own history, that has much to do with what happened next. —Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Noun

Absent the lush melancholy of classic synth-pop, what Hervé and Amato had in common with their forbears was a spirit of innovation rooted in profound laziness. —Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 May 2026

There is plenty about Norris to make fun of, but I’d be thrilled if today’s MAGA bros honored their forbears and were slightly less histrionic. —John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026

Noun

The historic European Protestant traditions that were the forebears of the American church placed great emphasis on learning and on doctrine, but the result was a faith that tended to be aristocratic and élitist. —Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Since then, Istanbul has seen only mayors from his AKP party and its forebears, the Welfare and Virtue parties. —Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan to endure, do without, from for- + beran to bear

Noun (2)

Middle English (Scots), from fore- + -bear (from been to be)

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forbear

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

forbear

1 of 2 verb

for·​bear fȯr-ˈba(ə)r 

fər-, 

-ˈbe(ə)r

forbore -ˈbō(ə)r 

-ˈbȯ(ə)r

; forborne -ˈbō(ə)rn 

-ˈbȯ(ə)rn

; forbearing

1

: to hold back or keep from : abstain

2

: to be patient when annoyed

forbearer noun

forbear

2 of 2

variant of forebear