forbearance

noun

for·​bear·​ance fȯr-ˈber-ən(t)s 

fər-

plural forbearances

1

: a refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due

The policy provides a means of forbearance for borrowers meeting certain criteria.

2

: the act of forbearing : patience

… a sudden formality in his manner, which showed that his forbearance was at last failing him.

—Wilkie Collins

Mrs Varden entreated her to remember that … marriage … was a state requiring great fortitude and forbearance.

—Charles Dickens

3

: the quality of being forbearing : leniency

… known … for her forbearance with her incorrigible husband.

—Willa Cather

Synonyms of forbearance

• patience

Examples of forbearance in a Sentence

He showed great forbearance in his dealings with them.

we thank you for your forbearance while we attend to the technical difficulties interrupting the TV program

Recent Examples on the Web

If the assassination made the President a Christlike figure, his forbearance in the face of a wife’s unreasonableness provides him with an extra measure of purity. —Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

If the assassination made the President a Christlike figure, his forbearance in the face of a wife’s unreasonableness provides him with an extra measure of purity. —Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

This includes in-school periods, post-graduation grace periods, default periods, bankruptcy periods, and any deferment and forbearance periods before the most recent consolidation of a borrower’s federal student loans. —Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reached a $120 million settlement with Navient in 2024, after accusing the lender of steering student loan borrowers away from affordable repayment plans and into expensive forbearances. —Annie Nova, CNBC, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

see forbear entry 1

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forbearance

• clarence

Kids Definition

forbearance

noun

for·​bear·​ance fȯr-ˈbar-ən(t)s 

fər-, 

-ˈber-

1

: the act of forbearing

2

: the quality of being forbearing : patience

Legal Definition

forbearance

noun

for·​bear·​ance

variants also forebearance

fȯr-ˈbar-əns

: a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due