fore

1 of 6

noun

: something that occupies a front position

fore

2 of 6

adverb

1
: in, toward, or near the front : forward
The plane's exits are located fore and aft.
2
obsolete : at an earlier time or period

fore

3 of 6

adjective

1
: situated in front of something else : forward
2
: prior in order of occurrence : former

fore

4 of 6

preposition

variants or less commonly 'fore
1
: in the presence of
2
chiefly dialectal : before

fore

5 of 6

interjection

used by a golfer to warn anyone within range of the probable line of flight of the ball

fore-

6 of 6

combining form

1
a
: earlier : beforehand
foresee
b
: occurring earlier : occurring beforehand
foreshock
2
a
: situated at the front : in front
foreleg
b
: front part of (something specified)
forearm
c
: foremast
foretop
Phrases
to the fore
: in or into a position of prominence : forward

Examples of fore in a Sentence

Adverb The plane's exits are located fore and aft. Adjective the fore and aft cabins cats have five fore toes but only four hind toes Preposition set out early with the hope of arriving fore the sunset fore the stranger there swarmed a gaggle of curious street urchins
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Obst recalled getting John Hughes to agree to write a screenplay for Moore and pushing several other projects to the fore, but her MTM partners said no at every turn. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Oct. 2024 The series taps a broader conversation around mental health in sports, a subject brought to the fore in recent years by athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. Callum McLennan, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024 In many ways, this season feels like more of a direct sequel to Season 1, as several loose ends from the first murder mystery have been tugged back to the fore by our intrepid investigators—and their celebrity sidekicks. Erik Kain, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 Google’s partnership with Kairos is its latest effort to scale up its energy capacity, as AI continues to bring energy supply questions to the fore. Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fore 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Preposition

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English for

Adjective and Noun

fore-

Interjection

probably short for before

Combining form

Middle English for-, fore-, from Old English fore-, from fore, adverb

First Known Use

Noun

1637, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

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

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

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

Interjection

circa 1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fore was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fore

Cite this Entry

“Fore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fore. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fore

1 of 5 adverb
ˈfō(ə)r How to pronounce fore (audio)
ˈfȯ(ə)r
: in, toward, or near the front : forward

fore

2 of 5 adjective
: being or coming before in time, order, or space

fore

3 of 5 noun
: a front place or position
came to the fore

fore

4 of 5 interjection
used by a golfer to warn anyone within range of a hit ball

fore-

5 of 5 combining form
1
a
: earlier : beforehand
foresee
b
: occurring earlier : occurring beforehand
forethought
2
a
: situated at the front : in front
foreleg
b
: front part of (something specified)
forearm
Etymology

Combining form

Old English fore- "earlier, beforehand"

Medical Definition

fore

adjective
: situated in front of something else

More from Merriam-Webster on fore

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