variants
also forbear
as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
his forebears came to America on the Mayflower
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Recent Examples of forebear
Both join a long tradition of women storytellers in Latin America that includes forebears such as Violeta Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Susana Baca and the great cantadoras of Colombia, voices such as Totó La Momposina, Petrona Martínez, ad Etelvina Maldonado, all keepers of the people’s memory.
—
Fernando Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
At her Hall of Fame induction two years ago, Crow was celebrated on both ends: by Stevie Nicks, her own hero and forebear, and Olivia Rodrigo, a 21st-century acolyte.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Assimilation would have made life easier for French-speaking Babs and her forebears, but fitting in wasn’t for them.
—Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail, 29 Mar. 2025
And then there’s that — art history, her forebears, with whom these paintings are communing.
—Adam Moss, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Fernando Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
At her Hall of Fame induction two years ago, Crow was celebrated on both ends: by Stevie Nicks, her own hero and forebear, and Olivia Rodrigo, a 21st-century acolyte.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Assimilation would have made life easier for French-speaking Babs and her forebears, but fitting in wasn’t for them.
—Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail, 29 Mar. 2025
And then there’s that — art history, her forebears, with whom these paintings are communing.
—Adam Moss, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebear
Noun
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Now is the time to stand up for every American’s First Amendment right to tell their story, to dissent from the government’s world view, to celebrate the resilience and fortitude of ancestors who fought for their rights and their culture in this country.—
John Leguizamo,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
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Names carry the legacy of our ancestors, the history of our culture, and the desires of our parents.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Dobbins cited his father, Lance, being a diehard Red Sox fan when explaining his disdain for the pinstripes.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
-
My father, the eldest boy of their four children, left school at eight or nine to help earn money in his father’s absence.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Princess Charlotte shares a close bond with her grandfather, King Charles.—
Greta Bjornson,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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In From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ana de Armas’ Eve is seeking revenge after the death of her father, Javier (David Castañeda), who was killed in an assassination attempt by his father-in-law and her grandfather, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) a dozen years before.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebear. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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