Did you know?
Forebear (also spelled, less commonly, as forbear) was first used by our ancestors in the days of Middle English. Fore- means "coming before," just as in forefather, and -bear means "one that is." This -bear is not to be confused with the -bear in the unrelated verb forbear, which comes from Old English beran, meaning "to bear or carry." The -bear in the noun forebear is a combination of be-, from the verb be (or, more specifically, from been, an old dialect variant of be), and -ar, a form of the suffix -er, which we append to verbs to denote one that performs a specified action. In this case the "action" is simply existing or being—in other words, -bear implies one who is a "be-er."
Examples of forebear in a Sentence
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
The finding is a notable puzzle piece that could help shed light on the earliest forebears of mammals, experts said.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
During a ceremony in which Moana accepts her society’s highest honor for wayfinders, the forebears come to her in a vision to reveal why the last person to receive the award, who never returned from their final trip, undertook such a dangerous mission in the first place.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024
By Audrey Lee This forebear was uniform and symmetrical, regulated by harmony, ratios, and scale.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share