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 2027 coupe that paraded around Sebring—paired with forebears from C2, C4, C6, and C7 generations of the Corvette—is highlighted by the return of Admiral Blue Metallic paint to the family line.
—
Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2026
The Seder provides many different ways to engage with the language, often alongside older generations who acquired varying degrees of proficiency from their forebears.
—Bryan Kirschen, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Steinmuller followed his forebears into the shipping industry.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
There is plenty about Norris to make fun of, but I’d be thrilled if today’s MAGA bros honored their forbears and were slightly less histrionic.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
That was how so many of their forebears settled here, having survived slavery and Jim Crow, working land some of the families own to this day.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
McNair spoke, unsuccessfully, before an Alabama Legislature that wanted to limit how schools teach events, such as the bombing that killed her sister, lest White children feel guilt for the sins of their forebears.
—John Archibald, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2026
But new research suggests that our forbears had more varied and cosmopolitan tastes, centuries before the Guide Michelin.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
The tournament, held every few years as a joint production between MLB and the MLB Players Association, allows players to represent, not the city that hired them, but the home that raised them or their forebears.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2026
The Seder provides many different ways to engage with the language, often alongside older generations who acquired varying degrees of proficiency from their forebears.
—Bryan Kirschen, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Steinmuller followed his forebears into the shipping industry.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
There is plenty about Norris to make fun of, but I’d be thrilled if today’s MAGA bros honored their forbears and were slightly less histrionic.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
That was how so many of their forebears settled here, having survived slavery and Jim Crow, working land some of the families own to this day.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
McNair spoke, unsuccessfully, before an Alabama Legislature that wanted to limit how schools teach events, such as the bombing that killed her sister, lest White children feel guilt for the sins of their forebears.
—John Archibald, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2026
But new research suggests that our forbears had more varied and cosmopolitan tastes, centuries before the Guide Michelin.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
The tournament, held every few years as a joint production between MLB and the MLB Players Association, allows players to represent, not the city that hired them, but the home that raised them or their forebears.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
Noun
-
However, some species occasionally behave in ways that recall their land-curious evolutionary ancestors.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Your hamburger’s ancestors are extinct.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Robert Pelot, the owner of Pelot’s Rexall Pharmacy, said it’s been in his family since one of his great-grandfathers moved to the Bradenton area from Indiana in the late 1800s.—
Amaia Gavica,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Is this the noble cause that our grandfathers would have shed their blood for 85 years ago?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Our Revolutionary fathers were influenced by the Bible, particularly as Scripture was interpreted through British common law.—
James O. Cunningham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Tisch and John Mara have functioned as the Giants franchise’s controlling owners for their respective families since the passing of their fathers, Bob Tisch and Wellington Mara, in 2005.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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