forbear

verb

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for·bear | \ fȯr-ˈber

, fər- \

forbore\ fȯr-ˈbȯr

, fər- \; forborne\ fȯr-ˈbȯrn

, fər- \; forbearing

Definition of forbear

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to hold oneself back from especially with an effort forbore mentioning the incident tried to forbear making rash judgments

2 obsolete : to do without

3 obsolete : to leave alone : shun forbear his presence— William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

1 : hold back, abstain have forborne from taking part in any controversy— Abraham Lincoln

2 : to control oneself when provoked : be patient forbore with his friend's failings

forbear

noun

for·bear

less common spelling of forebear

: ancestor, forefather also : precursor —usually used in plural His forebears fought in the American Civil War.

Other Words from forbear Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about forbear

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Examples of forbear in a Sentence

Verb He carefully forbore any mention of her name for fear of upsetting them. We decided to forbear provoking him any further. We decided to forbear from provoking him any further. He forebore to mention her name.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb So, if a person is enacting their right to resistance, then bystanders have an obligation to forbear and not to interfere. — TheWeek, "Sometimes the most powerful act of resistance is to do nothing," 12 Apr. 2020 But crucially, the FCC did not forbear from a few parts of Title II that protect consumers in other ways. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "If FCC gets its way, we’ll lose a lot more than net neutrality," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forbear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.