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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forebear
McBride is less interested in exploring another motivation for saving locks of hair: the particular sentimentalism that made people cherish the hair of loved ones, especially those who had died, or of honored forebears.
—
Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Like his Condé forebears, Graydon had learned to weaponize exclusivity.
—Michael Grynbaum, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
His forebears became famous for their excellent paella, famously serving it to the King of Spain in 1976, and Vidal has helped the dish reach an even wider audience since then.
—Sofia Perez, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
This brood holds a special place in history, as its forebears were first recorded by the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony in 1634.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Like his Condé forebears, Graydon had learned to weaponize exclusivity.
—Michael Grynbaum, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
His forebears became famous for their excellent paella, famously serving it to the King of Spain in 1976, and Vidal has helped the dish reach an even wider audience since then.
—Sofia Perez, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
This brood holds a special place in history, as its forebears were first recorded by the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony in 1634.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebear
Noun
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Her ancestor’s analytic model discouraged self-revelation by the therapist, but Freud often meets her guests’ excavations of desire and vulnerability with her own candid recollections.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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In Rea Rasmussen's case, the process took 18 months and required building genealogical connections back to ancestors born in the 1780s.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Chilean-American actress and singer did not reveal the age of her child or the identity of the father.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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His father taught him that a husband provides, a wife takes care of children.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 1943, when the Mississippi tore away from its banks and charted a fierce and muddy course across America’s central farmlands, Gerard’s grandfather, Harold Gerard, had already fled the waters once.—
Julia Rendleman,
ProPublica,
5 Sep. 2025
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The film will follow a young boy sent to spend a summer with his charismatic and wildly eccentric grandfather on a remote Welsh farm.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebear. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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