Definition of forbear
forbore
play \fȯr-ˈbȯr, fər-\;forborne
play \fȯr-ˈbȯrn, fər-\;forbearing
transitive verb
1 obsolete : to do without
2 : to hold oneself back from especially with an effort forbore mentioning the incident tried to forbear making rash judgments
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
forbearer
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of forbear in a Sentence
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.
Origin and Etymology of forbear
Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan to endure, do without, from for- + beran to bear
forbear
less common spelling of forebear
: ancestor, forefather; also : precursor —usually used in plural His forebears fought in the American Civil War.
FORBEAR Defined for English Language Learners
forbear
playDefinition of forbear for English Language Learners
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: to choose not to do (something that you could do) : to avoid doing or saying (something)
FORBEAR Defined for Kids
forbear
playDefinition of forbear for Students
forbore
\-ˈbȯr\;forborne
\-ˈbȯrn\;forbearing
1 : to hold back He forbore from hitting the bully back.
2 : to be patient when annoyed or troubled
Learn More about forbear
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See words that rhyme with forbear Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for forbear Spanish Central: Translation of forbear Nglish: Translation of forbear for Spanish speakers
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