as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent villagers who still practice many of the customs of their forebearers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forebearer After leaving Alabama, Avinger served a year in the U.S. Army, then signed for a season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, one of the forebearers of the Canadian Football League. —
Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 17 Apr. 2023 Like its classic-rock forebearer Desert Trip, the concert will bring two acts per night to Indio’s Empire Polo Club, on the weekend of Oct. 6-8. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023 Mike Brown said the digital driver license is the forebearer of discriminating against the unvaccinated. —Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Feb. 2022 If successful, The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, named in honor of its famous nautical forebearer and known as MAS for short, will be the first such trans-Atlantic voyage by an autonomous vessel. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2021 Our generation inherited a healthy ocean from our forebearers. —CNN, 24 Sep. 2019 Many of our forebearers, including my great-grandfather, were undocumented immigrants, no different from Central American migrants today. —Aaron Freedman, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2019
Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 17 Apr. 2023 Like its classic-rock forebearer Desert Trip, the concert will bring two acts per night to Indio’s Empire Polo Club, on the weekend of Oct. 6-8. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023 Mike Brown said the digital driver license is the forebearer of discriminating against the unvaccinated. —Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Feb. 2022 If successful, The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, named in honor of its famous nautical forebearer and known as MAS for short, will be the first such trans-Atlantic voyage by an autonomous vessel. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2021 Our generation inherited a healthy ocean from our forebearers. —CNN, 24 Sep. 2019 Many of our forebearers, including my great-grandfather, were undocumented immigrants, no different from Central American migrants today. —Aaron Freedman, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebearer
Noun
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Based on the 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic follows the witchy women of the Owens’ family, whose heartbroken ancestor cursed their bloodline so that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies a tragic death.— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
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Since the discovery of the bacterial flagellar motor in the 1970s, biologists and creationists alike have marveled at its design like medieval architects staring with awe at the dome of the Pantheon built by their Roman ancestors.— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He was born and raised in central Pennsylvania where his father and grandfather taught him to hunt and fish.— Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026
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Her penchant for shirting is, by all accounts, a natural one, passed down by her father and grandfather—both bespoke tailors who instilled in her an exacting eye for quality and execution.— Talia Abbas, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Word of Smith’s death had shattered his family, especially his father, who can’t believe his son is gone.— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
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Who cares about the fact that her friend cheated when her child was poisoned by her husband and her father?— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forebearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/forebearer. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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