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
Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2025
This multihyphenate job description instantly puts Sennott under the same spotlight as her forebears Lena Dunham and Issa Rae, women who were also given the golden ticket of a series on TV’s most prestigious platform at a strikingly young age.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
Internationally, the procedural format has enduring appeal so hopes were high for Boston Blue, especially as its forebear, Blue Bloods, had established a strong fanbase globally.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Like their forebears in a bygone era of Republican politics, their beliefs are defined by faith in free markets and suspicion of government meddling in society.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share