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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
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
Indeed, while the new Chinese ships may be operationally similar to their historical forebears, the strategic situation in China and Taiwan is far different.
—Colin Flint, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
The live-action Jasmine and Snow White wind up leading their countries, unlike their forebears.
—Darren Franich, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forebear
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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