forebears

noun

variants also forbears
plural of forebear
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

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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 First our forebears began to imitate peers learned behaviors, creating group norms that supported coordinated work. — Michael Morris, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Plant paid special attention to forebears and contemporaries. — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026 Some of his forebears emigrated before the genocide; others barely got out. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 Over the years, a number of prominent mathematicians tried to prove this guess of their forebears. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 July 2026 Their trajectories have diverged and sometimes overlapped in the 125 years since their forebears moved through the same dusty streets on one November day. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 For anyone wanting to see or experience the sites and vestiges of Miami’s ancient inhabitants, the people known as Tequesta and their even more enigmatic Archaic forebears, there are only a few places to go. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 For 17 generations, Wietse Van Der Werf’s forebears toiled as dockworkers, shipbuilders, and sea captains in the Netherlands and its colonies. — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026 Eight Dukes of Wellington and two very full centuries on from that 1825 procession, on this June 16, the 9th Duke rode, as each of his forbears did and as the future heirs to the ducal title will do, in the lead carriage with the king to open Royal Ascot. — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
  1. ancestors
  2. grandfathers
  3. fathers
Noun
  • By remaining involved in the businesses their ancestors began, these families have preserved and expanded their wealth across multiple generations while also shaping the American business landscape.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026
  • John Spencer, at the time heir to the Spencer earldom and styled as Viscount Althorp, was two years older than Queen Elizabeth II and descended from a long line of ancestors who served the British crown.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • His grandfathers are former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and Tom Curtis, an All-America defensive back for the Wolverines, and his brother is Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly a century after his great-grandfathers played college football, USC freshman defensive lineman Luke Wafle is emerging as a generational talent.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of grandfathers
Noun
  • That was in part to force the fathers to pay child maintenance, thus saving taxpayers’ money, but also supposedly to save the souls of both parents.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • To offset these kinds of social pressures, countries like Japan and Austria offer incentives such as bonus leave time for families when fathers actually take their available leave.
    — Megan Kuykendoll, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of fathers

Browse Nearby Words

forebearers
forebears
forebode
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Cite this Entry

“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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