Definition of forbear
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
2 : to control oneself when provoked : be patient
forbore with his friend's failings
forbear
nounfor·bear
less common spelling of forebear
: ancestor, forefather also : precursor —usually used in plural His forebears fought in the American Civil War.
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Time Traveler for forbear
The first known use of forbear was before the 12th century
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