forbear

1 of 2

verb

for·bear fȯr-ˈber

fər-

forbore fȯr-ˈbȯr

fər-

; forborne fȯr-ˈbȯrn

fər-

; forbearing

transitive verb

: to hold oneself back from especially with an effort

forbore mentioning the incident

tried to forbear making rash judgments

obsolete : to do without

obsolete : to leave alone : shun

forbear his presence

William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

: hold back, abstain

have forborne from taking part in any controversy

Abraham Lincoln

: to control oneself when provoked : be patient

forbore with his friend's failings

forbearer noun

forbear

2 of 2

noun

for·bear

less common spelling of forebear

: ancestor, forefather

also : precursor

—usually used in plural

His forebears fought in the American Civil War.

Example Sentences

Verb He carefully forbore any mention of her name for fear of upsetting them. We decided to forbear provoking him any further. We decided to forbear from provoking him any further. He forebore to mention her name.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

So, if a person is enacting their right to resistance, then bystanders have an obligation to forbear and not to interfere.

TheWeek, 12 Apr. 2020 But crucially, the FCC did not forbear from a few parts of Title II that protect consumers in other ways.

Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forbear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.