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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forebears
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
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
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The findings suggest that alcohol is a regular part of a chimpanzee’s diet and may have been a part of our human ancestors’ diets.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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Scientists are similarly investigating endophytes of ancient wheat varieties, which, like corn’s ancestors, are more disease-resistant than modern varieties.—
Anna Marija Helt,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Founded by cousins Sam and Jeff King, and celebrating 80 years since their fathers began launching restaurants, King’s has become a part of the firmament of California seafood.—
Greg Mellen,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
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Research from the Pew Research Center shows that mothers, especially those with young children, spend more time than fathers on both paid work and unpaid care.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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The pride of Santa Elena's silletero families is palpable, with everyone from young children to grandmothers and grandfathers tracing the route of the culminating parade carrying their creations on their backs.—
Carley Rojas Ávila,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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