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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
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026 But while their forebears deconstructed rock conventions, HYPER GAL’s primary influence is the glistening textures of pop. —Jude Noel, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026 Yu, who died last year, had forebears. —Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for forebear
Cite this Entry
“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/forebear. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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