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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."
Examples of forebear in a Sentence
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Like their forebears in a bygone era of Republican politics, their beliefs are defined by faith in free markets and suspicion of government meddling in society.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
The guidance my forebears left me is a map.
—Essence, 10 Oct. 2025
The book is dense with literary references but Harpman constantly makes fun of her forebears.
—Mj Franklin, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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