forest

1 of 2

noun

for·​est ˈfȯr-əst 

ˈfär-

often attributive

1

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract

A fire destroyed acres of forest.

forests of pine and mahogany

2

: a tract of wooded land in England formerly owned by the sovereign and used for game

3

: something resembling a forest especially in profusion or lushness

a forest of microphones

a kelp forest

a forest of skyscrapers

forestal

ˈfȯr-ə-stᵊl 

ˈfär-

adjective

or forestial

fə-ˈre-stē-əl 

fȯ-, 

-ˈres-chəl, 

-ˈresh-

forested

ˈfȯr-ə-stəd 

ˈfär-

adjective

forest

2 of 2

verb

forested; foresting; forests

transitive verb

: to cover with trees or forest

land densely forested with firs

forestation

ˌfȯr-ə-ˈstā-shən 

ˌfär-

noun

Synonyms of forest

Noun

• woodland
• wood(s)
• forestland

Examples of forest in a Sentence

Noun

Fires destroyed acres of forest.

the endless forest that the first European settlers encountered

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An hour earlier, George had walked through the tropical forest, day dreaming. —Literary Hub, 11 June 2026

The subtropical forest had 12 crystal clear lagoons and 500 plant species. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026

Verb

Which means the 4,092-square-kilometer area between the high, forested escarpment and the wide stretches of the Zambezi River is still pretty untouched. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Photos shared on Facebook show the rescue scene was heavily forested, and rescuers worked in knee-deep water to save the man. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) unenclosed (woodland), from Latin foris outside — more at forum

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing forest

• cloud forest
• forest bathing
• forest floor
• forest green
• forest ranger
• forest tent caterpillar
• gallery forest
• miss the forest for the trees
• national forest
• not see the forest for the trees
• rain forest
• temperate rain forest
• tropical rain forest

Rhymes for forest

• chorused
• sorest
• aorist
• deforest
• rainforest

Kids Definition

forest

noun

for·​est

ˈfȯr-əst, 

ˈfär-

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area