forebear

noun fore·bear \ ˈfȯr-ˌber \

variants: or less commonly forbear

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: forebear in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of forebear

: ancestor, forefather; also : precursor —usually used in plural

His forebears fought in the American Civil War.

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Examples of forebear in a Sentence

His forebears fought in the American Civil War.
his forebears came to America on the Mayflower

Recent Examples of forebear from the Web

While Boomers have more average wealth than any generation ever, a National Bureau of Economic Research study shows those lacking financial education are even worse off than their forebears.

— ken fisher, USA TODAY, "Retirement: 3 steps to overcome a 401(k) savings shortfall," 27 May 2018
My forebears bought it in buckets, at the corner joint.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty's Morning Line: Cincinnati Reds need the off day, and other MLB thoughts," 12 July 2018
Observe closely a man on a Harlem street corner and it can be seen how little his life experience differs from that of his forebears.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Price Cobbs, Who Helped Define ‘Black Rage,’ Is Dead at 89," 10 July 2018
Hers was a feat unusual not merely among her contemporaries but also among her forebears.

— brad leithauser, WSJ, "‘Clock Dance’ Review: The Family Maker," 6 July 2018
And if social media is to be believed, the Democracy our forebears fought so dearly to preserve shall be crumbling soon, leaving nothing but empty avocado bins and disappointingly weak cold brews.

— amy b wang, Washington Post, "‘No place to recharge my Kindle’: Letters imagine the front lines of America’s ‘second civil war’," 3 July 2018
America’s greatness derives from its political forebears, who were white, Christian (or at least Deists), and men.

— fred niedner, Post-Tribune, "Niedner: Recommitting to our founding values crucial to future," 6 July 2018
Research published last year has bolstered the theory that our nocturnal forebears were able to emerge, blinking into sunlight, only upon the demise of the ravenous, day-living dinosaurs, and become the new kings of the land.

— christopher solomon, Outside Online, "Humans Are Turning Mammals More Nocturnal," 14 June 2018
Posh Private Post Offices Boasting ocean views and sleek materials, these luxurious mailrooms are a far cry from their pedestrian forebears.

— candace taylor, WSJ, "Inside the High-End Mailrooms Wealthy Residents Visit When They’ve Got Mail," 7 June 2018

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

Did You Know?

Forebear (also sometimes spelled "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" (not to be confused with the "-bear" in the unrelated verb "forbear," which comes from Old English beran, meaning "to bear or carry"). The "be-" of "-bear" is from the verb "to be" (or, more specifically, from "been," an old dialect variant of "be"). The "-ar" is 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."