forest

1 of 2

noun

for·​est ˈfȯr-əst 

ˈfär-

often attributive

1

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract

A fire destroyed acres of forest.

forests of pine and mahogany

2

: a tract of wooded land in England formerly owned by the sovereign and used for game

3

: something resembling a forest especially in profusion or lushness

a forest of microphones

a kelp forest

a forest of skyscrapers

forestal

ˈfȯr-ə-stᵊl 

ˈfär-

adjective

or forestial

fə-ˈre-stē-əl 

fȯ-, 

-ˈres-chəl, 

-ˈresh-

forested

ˈfȯr-ə-stəd 

ˈfär-

adjective

forest

2 of 2

verb

forested; foresting; forests

transitive verb

: to cover with trees or forest

land densely forested with firs

forestation

ˌfȯr-ə-ˈstā-shən 

ˌfär-

noun

Synonyms of forest

Noun

• woodland
• wood(s)
• forestland

Examples of forest in a Sentence

Noun

Fires destroyed acres of forest.

the endless forest that the first European settlers encountered

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In April, 2001, a little girl—Hale’s cousin—went missing while hiking with her grandparents through the Arkansas Ozarks forest. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Rather than honing in on a particular animal or region, the series takes a kaleidoscopic look at life on Earth by visiting different ecosystem types, including plains, mountains, jungles, forests and the mysterious depths of the ocean. —David Faris, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026

Verb

Palisades State Park Garretson, South Dakota South Dakota is well known for its vast prairies, rugged Badlands and forested Black Hills. —Joie Probst, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026

Outdoor activities allow visitors to take advantage of the water and forested nature trails. —Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) unenclosed (woodland), from Latin foris outside — more at forum

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing forest

• cloud forest
• forest bathing
• forest floor
• forest green
• forest ranger
• forest tent caterpillar
• gallery forest
• miss the forest for the trees
• national forest
• not see the forest for the trees
• rain forest
• temperate rain forest
• tropical rain forest

Rhymes for forest

• chorused
• sorest
• aorist
• deforest
• folklorist
• rainforest

Kids Definition

forest

noun

for·​est

ˈfȯr-əst, 

ˈfär-

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area