Standard Lemma guide

forebear

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːˌbɛə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈfɔɹˌbɛɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: F AO1 R B EH2 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An ancestor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • [1906] 2004, Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, Ethel Wedgwood tr. Sirs, I am quite sure that the King of England's forbears rightly and justly lost the conquered lands that I hold [...]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: predecessor

2

verb

Meaning 2

Obsolete spelling of forbear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person from whom you are descended

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forbear

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, antecedent, root

Narrower terms: grandparent, great grandparent

History

Etymology

Late 15th century, from fore- + beer (“one who is or exists”, literally “be-er”).

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: предшественик (predšestvenik) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Catalan: ascendent — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Catalan: antecessor — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Catalan: avantpassat — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 祖先 (zǔxiān) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 祖宗 (zǔzōng) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Dutch: voorvader — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • French: ancêtre — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • German: Vorfahr — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • German: Ahn — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • German: Vorfahre — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Hindi: पूर्वज (pūrvaj) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Italian: antenato — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Māori: kauwheke — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Māori: tipuna (plural is tīpuna) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Māori: tupuna (plural is tūpuna) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Māori: kauheke — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Māori: tauheke — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Plautdietsch: Väavoda — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Polish: przodek — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Polish: przodkini — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Polish: antenat — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Polish: antenatka — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Portuguese: antepassado — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Russian: предше́ственник (predšéstvennik) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Russian: пре́док (prédok) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Spanish: ancestro — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Spanish: antepasado — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Sranan Tongo: awo — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Swedish: förfader — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Ukrainian: пре́док (prédok) — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Welsh: hynafiad — ancestor — see also ancestor
  • Welsh: cyndad — ancestor — see also ancestor