often attributive
1
: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract
A fire destroyed acres of forest.
forests of pine and mahogany
2
: a tract of wooded land in England formerly owned by the sovereign and used for game
3
: something resembling a forest especially in profusion or lushness
a forest of microphones
a kelp forest
a forest of skyscrapers
forested; foresting; forests
: to cover with trees or forest
land densely forested with firs
Synonyms
Examples of forest in a Sentence
Noun
Fires destroyed acres of forest.
the endless forest that the first European settlers encountered
Recent Examples on the Web
Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2023
The black-and-white drama follows the plight of refugees stranded in the swampy forest land that makes up the Polish-Belarusian border.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
Find modern A-frames with dog-friendly backyards, luxe chalets surrounded by mountain views, and even a treehouse amongst towering forests and hiking trails.
—Kat Thompson, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
About 2 billion tons are now removed every year, but that is largely achieved through the natural absorption capacity of forests.
—E&e News, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
In 2017, an enormous wildfire almost cut the region’s connection, which depends on three transmission lines coming through a single hundred-and-forty-foot-wide corridor that traverses mountain and forest.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
In the past two decades, forest fires in the U.S. have become progressively more intense, frequent and widespread, according to climate scientists and wildfire experts.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
Riccardo Hernández’s set surrounds the playing space with curving walls flooded with verdant projections to give a sense of the walls of forest flanking the river.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
In a healthy forest, high biodiversity enables multiple relationships binding trees, birds, insects and soil microorganisms; that’s in contrast to plantations, where such relationships are much sparser.
—Chirag Dhara, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2023
John Riha, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2023
Scenic designer Nadir Bey’s set, forested with security-style floodlights, adds to the intensity.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
One of the likely reasons some parts of the community still don't have access to broadband is the terrain, which can be rocky and heavily forested.
—Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2023
The spongy moth is currently the most prevalent invasive problem in Wisconsin forests
The spongy moth, McNee said, is currently the biggest invasive problem for Wisconsin's trees.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
The ascent up its conical face promised to be an immersion into Guatemala’s natural order, taking us through an array of ecosystems, from farmland to cloud and alpine forests to the volcanic crater.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023
The public’s videos also draw attention to the unique biodiversity in Arizona’s Sky Islands, the mountains that rise from desert to forest around southeastern Arizona and in Sonora, Hart said.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2023
Whereas colonial officers had economic motivations for converting grasslands, today governments worldwide are banking on forests and foresting to mitigate climate change.
—Sutirtha Lahiri, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2023
Hugging the region's main waterway, Cuyahoga Valley has forested hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and more than 70 waterfalls.
—Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
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Noun
Many people maintain that Julieta flies every night to the vast Tijuca urban forest, crossing four kilometers of dense city.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2023
The black-and-white drama follows the plight of refugees stranded in the swampy forest land that makes up the Polish-Belarusian border.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
Find modern A-frames with dog-friendly backyards, luxe chalets surrounded by mountain views, and even a treehouse amongst towering forests and hiking trails.
—Kat Thompson, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
About 2 billion tons are now removed every year, but that is largely achieved through the natural absorption capacity of forests.
—E&e News, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
In 2017, an enormous wildfire almost cut the region’s connection, which depends on three transmission lines coming through a single hundred-and-forty-foot-wide corridor that traverses mountain and forest.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
In the past two decades, forest fires in the U.S. have become progressively more intense, frequent and widespread, according to climate scientists and wildfire experts.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
Riccardo Hernández’s set surrounds the playing space with curving walls flooded with verdant projections to give a sense of the walls of forest flanking the river.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
In a healthy forest, high biodiversity enables multiple relationships binding trees, birds, insects and soil microorganisms; that’s in contrast to plantations, where such relationships are much sparser.
—Chirag Dhara, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2023
Verb
Another nearly rainless summer had left the Sierra Nevada forests desert dry, and the National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag warning for strong winds and low humidity.
—John Riha, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2023
Scenic designer Nadir Bey’s set, forested with security-style floodlights, adds to the intensity.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
One of the likely reasons some parts of the community still don't have access to broadband is the terrain, which can be rocky and heavily forested.
—Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2023
The spongy moth is currently the most prevalent invasive problem in Wisconsin forests
The spongy moth, McNee said, is currently the biggest invasive problem for Wisconsin's trees.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
The ascent up its conical face promised to be an immersion into Guatemala’s natural order, taking us through an array of ecosystems, from farmland to cloud and alpine forests to the volcanic crater.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023
The public’s videos also draw attention to the unique biodiversity in Arizona’s Sky Islands, the mountains that rise from desert to forest around southeastern Arizona and in Sonora, Hart said.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2023
Whereas colonial officers had economic motivations for converting grasslands, today governments worldwide are banking on forests and foresting to mitigate climate change.
—Sutirtha Lahiri, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2023
Hugging the region's main waterway, Cuyahoga Valley has forested hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and more than 70 waterfalls.
—Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) unenclosed (woodland), from Latin foris outside — more at forum
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
circa 1828, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of forest was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing forest
Articles Related to forest
Dictionary Entries Near forest
Cite this Entry
“Forest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forest. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
forest
noun
for·est
ˈfȯr-əst,
ˈfär-
: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area
More from Merriam-Webster on forest
Nglish: Translation of forest for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of forest for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about forest
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