as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
villagers who still practice many of the customs of their forebearers
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Recent Examples of forebearer
After leaving Alabama, Avinger served a year in the U.S. Army, then signed for a season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, one of the forebearers of the Canadian Football League.
—
Mark Inabinett | [email protected],
al,
17 Apr. 2023
Like its classic-rock forebearer Desert Trip, the concert will bring two acts per night to Indio’s Empire Polo Club, on the weekend of Oct. 6-8.
—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2023
Mike Brown said the digital driver license is the forebearer of discriminating against the unvaccinated.
—
Bryan Schott,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
8 Feb. 2022
If successful, The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, named in honor of its famous nautical forebearer and known as MAS for short, will be the first such trans-Atlantic voyage by an autonomous vessel.
—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
27 Nov. 2021
Our generation inherited a healthy ocean from our forebearers.
—
CNN,
24 Sep. 2019
Many of our forebearers, including my great-grandfather, were undocumented immigrants, no different from Central American migrants today.
—
Aaron Freedman,
The New Republic,
9 Aug. 2019
Mark Inabinett | [email protected],
al,
17 Apr. 2023
Like its classic-rock forebearer Desert Trip, the concert will bring two acts per night to Indio’s Empire Polo Club, on the weekend of Oct. 6-8.
—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2023
Mike Brown said the digital driver license is the forebearer of discriminating against the unvaccinated.
—
Bryan Schott,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
8 Feb. 2022
If successful, The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, named in honor of its famous nautical forebearer and known as MAS for short, will be the first such trans-Atlantic voyage by an autonomous vessel.
—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
27 Nov. 2021
Our generation inherited a healthy ocean from our forebearers.
—
CNN,
24 Sep. 2019
Many of our forebearers, including my great-grandfather, were undocumented immigrants, no different from Central American migrants today.
—
Aaron Freedman,
The New Republic,
9 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebearer
Noun
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But just because our microbiome differs from our ancestors' doesn't mean reverting to an earlier model is better.
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The range of Pennsylvania Dutch vocabulary reflects the immediate, physical nature of my ancestors’ lives and work.
Noun
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Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
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For Rohrman, whose family business made its name in the Chicago area with his late grandfather’s low–budget TV commercials, listing his autos on Amazon may be the sales pitch of the future.
Noun
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Doherty's father, uncle, cousin and other family members are buried at the cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts.
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The father, Marquise Anderson, said Joanna wet the bed on two occasions on a night in February at the house in the 1900 block of Daniel Street.
Cite this Entry
“Forebearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebearer. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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