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
Generations of Irish schoolchildren studied the language of their forebears.
—
Big Think, 4 May 2026
Conversely, maybe the fact that their songs, while impressively self-possessed, weren’t directly confrontational has kept them from being counted as forebears to the feminist punks who would come after.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 3 May 2026
But the real transformation came when our hominin predecessors, the forebears of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, broke from this pattern.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Though not as breathtakingly palatial as its forebears in Hong Kong (the first-born) and Manila (the second), this third child is nonetheless manor-like, quietly confident, and a total oasis.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Two hundred fifty years ago our political forebears softened their biases and brought forth something new and remarkable.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Banerjee, who was born in 1963, offered an effusive epilogue to the modernist exhibit, exploring dimensions, textures and scale that many of her artistic forebears could only dream of.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Big Think, 4 May 2026
Conversely, maybe the fact that their songs, while impressively self-possessed, weren’t directly confrontational has kept them from being counted as forebears to the feminist punks who would come after.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 3 May 2026
But the real transformation came when our hominin predecessors, the forebears of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, broke from this pattern.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Though not as breathtakingly palatial as its forebears in Hong Kong (the first-born) and Manila (the second), this third child is nonetheless manor-like, quietly confident, and a total oasis.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Two hundred fifty years ago our political forebears softened their biases and brought forth something new and remarkable.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Banerjee, who was born in 1963, offered an effusive epilogue to the modernist exhibit, exploring dimensions, textures and scale that many of her artistic forebears could only dream of.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
Noun
-
The group of 80-some species has ancestors going back tens of millions of years, originating in Asia.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
-
The Declaration had many ancestors.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Her grandfathers were military.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s mothers and daughters, there’s fathers and daughters, there’s fathers and sons, there’s siblings, there’s best friends, there’s coworkers.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
-
In Downeast Maine, boys are shaped by brutal winters, the harvesting of the ocean’s bounty, and the rigid codes of their fathers.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
