Definitions

forbore

[fawr-bawr, -bohr] / fɔrˈbɔr, -ˈboʊr /

VERB

resist the temptation to

Synonyms

STRONG

abstain avoid bridle cease curb decline desist escape eschew evade forgo inhibit keep omit pause refrain restrain sacrifice shun stop withhold

WEAK

go easy hold back keep from

Antonyms

STRONG

accept aid allow assist begin continue encourage face free go help indulge keep on let go meet release restart start use

WEAK

involve partake

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.

According to Senor Calles, he forbore to act in the hope that the plotters would renounce their treasonable intentions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Suppose the banker put away the check as a weapon, and forbore arresting the clerk because obviously he was clever and had inside information on the market operations of high officials.

From Time Magazine Archive

These statesmen forbore going to court in part because they doubted the courts would, or should, be open to them.

From Time Magazine Archive

He forbore to attack Lyndon Johnson on Viet Nam in 1968, he said, because he feared that he might jeopardize the fledgling negotiations in Paris.

From Time Magazine Archive

Forasmuch as they hang in my memory by only this one slender thread, I don’t know what they did, except that they forbore to remove me.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens