variants
also forbears
as in ancestors
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
his forebears came to America on the Mayflower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forebears
The guidance my forebears left me is a map.
—
Essence, 10 Oct. 2025
The book is dense with literary references but Harpman constantly makes fun of her forebears.
—Mj Franklin, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
For someone like Eli, then, projecting movie-star-like virility and vigor was an exercise in social advancement, in distancing himself from his babushka forebears’ grim reality.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Our forebears turned orchards into neighborhoods that welcomed us.
—Belal Aftab, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The album only passingly cares about the signature dance-pop gunk of its 2010s and ’20s peers and forebears and doesn’t (like songs by Gomez, Addison Rae, and others) spend much time exploring Lana Del Rey as a subgenre.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Once upon a time, scholars thought that human evolution was a march of progress in which our forebears evolved in linear fashion from an apelike ancestor to a series of increasingly humanlike forms.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
Essence, 10 Oct. 2025
The book is dense with literary references but Harpman constantly makes fun of her forebears.
—Mj Franklin, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
For someone like Eli, then, projecting movie-star-like virility and vigor was an exercise in social advancement, in distancing himself from his babushka forebears’ grim reality.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Our forebears turned orchards into neighborhoods that welcomed us.
—Belal Aftab, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The album only passingly cares about the signature dance-pop gunk of its 2010s and ’20s peers and forebears and doesn’t (like songs by Gomez, Addison Rae, and others) spend much time exploring Lana Del Rey as a subgenre.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Once upon a time, scholars thought that human evolution was a march of progress in which our forebears evolved in linear fashion from an apelike ancestor to a series of increasingly humanlike forms.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
Noun
-
Obviously, that spoke to me, because my ancestors were slaves.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In a personal tie, her paternal ancestors were the owners of the woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, which was based in Leeds.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Her Founders were fathers, and mothers, too.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Ninety-five percent of the women studied were white women living in the United States, and researchers did not factor in any information provided by the fathers.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Both of his grandfathers died in mine accidents.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Now a young man, he's recently started a new chapter as an Army private first class and plans to follow in his father's and grandfathers’ military footsteps.—
Susan Young,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share