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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 forebearer
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
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
Growing population size would have affected our forebearers another way, too: by accelerating the pace of evolution.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2012
Based on the analysis the team built a virtual model of what this land-dwelling forebearer to flying insects looked like.
—Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2019
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
Quaker Oats retired Aunt Jemima, allowing her real-life forebearer, Nancy Green, to step out of the shadows of a minstrel past.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2020
Chickamauga is two lakes upstream from Guntersville and other TVA lakes in Alabama, which likely means the fish or their forebearers passed through Alabama waters and that lots of them could still be there.
—Frank Sargeant, al, 22 Jan. 2020
August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
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
Growing population size would have affected our forebearers another way, too: by accelerating the pace of evolution.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2012
Based on the analysis the team built a virtual model of what this land-dwelling forebearer to flying insects looked like.
—Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2019
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
Quaker Oats retired Aunt Jemima, allowing her real-life forebearer, Nancy Green, to step out of the shadows of a minstrel past.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2020
Chickamauga is two lakes upstream from Guntersville and other TVA lakes in Alabama, which likely means the fish or their forebearers passed through Alabama waters and that lots of them could still be there.
—Frank Sargeant, al, 22 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebearer
Noun
-
The ancestors of tens of millions of Americans left miserable lives in Ireland for initially difficult ones here.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Jackson was captivated by the use of water as a symbol of freedom and hope for her ancestors in the lyrics of the spirituals.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Robyn, 11, and Chuck, 8, had just been picked up early from Camp Timber Lake by their uncle Jim Peel and grandfather Bryan McArthur.—
Tony Holt,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The emotions were unavoidable on Saturday for Ian Happ, who got a standing ovation for his 1,000th game as a Cub, as well as Matthew Boyd, who got choked up after winning his first start at Wrigley Field in a Cubs uniform, thinking of his late grandfather, a Cubs fan who grew up in Chicago.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The podcast itself is very emotional in terms of coming to terms with who her father is, and also sitting down with the family members of her father’s victims.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Still, Hemme took solace in being present for her father’s final days.—
Katie Moore,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forebearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebearer. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share