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

Produced by Fantawild Animation, the 12th feature in the franchise sees Briar, Bramble, and Vick embark on an adventure into a mysterious ancient forest. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026

The researchers recently published a study that found that dredging may be speeding up ghost forest formation. —Patrick Sisson, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2026

Verb

Whether you’re headed somewhere remote and forested or through a string of big cities, this is gear made to last. —Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026

Found 500 to 1,000 kilometers from any ancient coastline, these animals lived in lush, forested inland river systems. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 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
• folklorist
• rainforest

Kids Definition

forest

noun

for·​est

ˈfȯr-əst, 

ˈfär-

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