Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

forbear

/fɔɹˈbɛɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.01 in modern English

Syllables: for-bear
IPA: /fɔɹˈbɛɚ/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.

Transitive verb

verb

To refrain from proceeding; to pause; to delay.

Intransitive verb

verb

To refuse; to decline; to withsay; to unheed.

Intransitive verb

verb

To control oneself when provoked.

Intransitive verb

noun

Alternative spelling of forebear.

Example Sentences

"Mr. Sheriff, I desire that this manacling may be forborn: if you please to clap a guard of a hundred men upon us, I shall pay for it. This is not only a disgrace to me, but in general to all soldiers; which doth more trouble me than the loss of my life."
"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow the sun forbear to shine"
"Poor Arabs wondered why I had no mare; I forbore to puzzle them by incomprehensible talk of hardening myself, or confess I would rather walk than ride for sparing of animals:"
"For his part, Tharoor cannot forbear to praise the achievements of men like Arthur Cotton, whose Godavari Delta irrigation scheme remains much as he left it in 1852."
"Por[tia]. I pray you tarrie, pauſe a day or two Before you hazard, for in chooſing wrong I looſe your companie ; therefore forbeare a while, /[...]"
"Then the king of Iſrael gathered the prophets together about foure hundred men, and ſaid vnto them, Shall I goe againſt Ramoth Gilead to battell, or ſhall I forbeare? [...]"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Germanic *fra- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Germanic *beraną Proto-Germanic *fraberaną Old English forberan Middle English forberen English forbear From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with Old Frisian forbera (“to forfeit”), Middle High German verbërn (“to have not; abstain; refrain from; avoid”) (Cimbrian forbèeran), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (frabairan, “to endure”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: for
Root: forberen, forberan, *fraberaną

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fɔɹˈbɛɚ/
British English: /fɔːˈbɛə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

forbears (present, singular) forbearing (participle, present) forbore (past) forborne (participle, past) forborn (archaic, participle) forebear (alternative, obsolete) forbears (plural)

Derived Forms

forbearable forbearance forbearant forbearer forbearing forbearingly

Synonyms

forebear refrain hold back

Rhymes With

are there where care they're we're air share hair fair wear aware

Questions

How do you pronounce forbear?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɔɹˈbɛɚ/.
What does forbear mean?: To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.
Where does forbear come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce forbear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “forbear”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/fɔɹˈbɛɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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