FOREBEAR Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

forebear

noun

ˈfȯr-ˌber

variants also forbear

Definition of forebear

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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of forebear Some of his forebears emigrated before the genocide; others barely got out. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 Over the years, a number of prominent mathematicians tried to prove this guess of their forebears. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 July 2026 Their trajectories have diverged and sometimes overlapped in the 125 years since their forebears moved through the same dusty streets on one November day. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 For anyone wanting to see or experience the sites and vestiges of Miami’s ancient inhabitants, the people known as Tequesta and their even more enigmatic Archaic forebears, there are only a few places to go. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for forebear

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebear

Noun

The ancestors of today’s trees are some 20,000 times older than the oldest cities.

— Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
That would mean their ancestors had already reached the continent before the split occurred.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

His grandparents owned restaurants and his grandfather was one of the first butchers to cut steaks for Morton Steakhouse.

— Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
The designer’s grandfather Mario and his brother Martino opened their luggage and luxury objects store under the Fratelli Prada banner 113 years ago in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

— Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Cassegrain is the company’s third-ever CEO, following his father and grandfather.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Born in Los Angeles in 1954 to parents who hailed from Chicago, his father, Warren, founded a tape duplication service and later served as vice president of sales at Sussex Records, which produced acts like R&B crooner Bill Withers.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

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forebear

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“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebear. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of forebear

noun

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