forebear

noun

fore·​bear ˈfȯr-ˌber How to pronounce forebear (audio)
variants or less commonly forbear
: ancestor, forefather
also : precursor
usually used in plural
His forebears fought in the American Civil War.

Did you know?

Forebear (also spelled, less commonly, as forbear) was first used by our ancestors in the days of Middle English. Fore- means "coming before," just as in forefather, and -bear means "one that is." This -bear is not to be confused with the -bear in the unrelated verb forbear, which comes from Old English beran, meaning "to bear or carry." The -bear in the noun forebear is a combination of be-, from the verb be (or, more specifically, from been, an old dialect variant of be), and -ar, a form of the suffix -er, which we append to verbs to denote one that performs a specified action. In this case the "action" is simply existing or being—in other words, -bear implies one who is a "be-er."

Examples of forebear in a Sentence

His forebears fought in the American Civil War. his forebears came to America on the Mayflower
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So were the forebears of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, and Nashville songbirds Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and a thousand other sons and daughters of today’s country music scene. James Dodson july 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025 Why did these Paleo-Indians, forebears of the Native Americans such as the Tonkawa, choose this area? Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 And centuries earlier, the colonists’ British forebears had brought an earlier monarch to heel, forcing King John to sign the Magna Carta and thereby setting a precedent of powerful limits on royal power. Tom Shattuck, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025 The latest washing machines require roughly 75 percent less water than their forebears. Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for forebear

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (Scots), from fore- + -bear (from been to be)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forebear was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

forebear

noun
fore·​bear
variants also forbear
ˈfōr-ˌba(ə)r,
ˈfȯr-,
-ˌbe(ə)r

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