Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

forebear

American  
[fawr-bair, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌbɛər, ˈfoʊr- /
Also forbear

noun

  1. Usually forebears ancestors; forefathers.


forebear British  
/ ˈfɔːˌbɛə /

noun

  1. an ancestor; forefather

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of forebear

1425–75; Middle English (Scots), equivalent to fore- fore- + -bear “being,” variant of beer; be, -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Suddenly, it was over, and the U.S. men joined their golden forebears from Lake Placid and Squaw Valley 1960.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, the “Love Story” forebear that matters most in this discussion is not John F. Kennedy or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, played here by “Feud” star Naomi Watts.

From Salon

This was what must have happened with the forebears of Mami and Baby, because they were part of a unique population that had been here when the lake was created.

From Literature

She also started incorporating images of other inspiring women, including her maternal forebears and the Cuban American sculptor Ana Mendieta.

From Los Angeles Times

Just as his own immigrant forebears assimilated and their children were average, upwardly mobile, all-American citizens, so too are the more recent immigrants.

From Salon