variants
also forbear
as in ancestor
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
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Recent Examples of forebear
And then there’s that — art history, her forebears, with whom these paintings are communing.
—
Adam Moss, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
The Dry Creek Wilderness Area remains as close to the Arkansas of our forebears as any area in the state.
—Bob Robinson, arkansasonline.com, 19 Jan. 2025
Our forebears understood the power of access to knowledge.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Farmers say their forebears initially enjoyed super yields, but the soil has hardened over time, and yields have plummeted, leading to more chemical use.
—Brooke Roberts-Islam, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Adam Moss, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
The Dry Creek Wilderness Area remains as close to the Arkansas of our forebears as any area in the state.
—Bob Robinson, arkansasonline.com, 19 Jan. 2025
Our forebears understood the power of access to knowledge.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Farmers say their forebears initially enjoyed super yields, but the soil has hardened over time, and yields have plummeted, leading to more chemical use.
—Brooke Roberts-Islam, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebear
Noun
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Florentine society had changed a good deal since the days of their illustrious ancestor; noble blood had in fact become something of a liability.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
29 May 2025
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One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
Noun
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These individuals were someone’s son, brother, father, and community members, yet they were treated as less than human. New York jails and prisons house more individuals with mental illness than any psychiatric hospital in the country.—
Justyna Rzewinski,
New York Daily News,
21 May 2025
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Jelena Dokic, a former world No. 4 and Wimbledon semifinalist, has confirmed that her estranged father, Damir, has died aged 67.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Even more breathtaking than Williams' entrance, though, was her brief scene beside the bed of Jen's dying grandfather, which would ultimately kick off the first of countless tearjerker moments peppered throughout the series.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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After his grandfather died a few years later, Pitsaev and his mom moved back to Chechnya.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebear. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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