forbear

[fawr-bair] / fɔrˈbɛər /

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.

If the real Queen Charlotte could claim any African cultural lineage, it would have come from a distant Portuguese forbear.

From Salon • May 6, 2023

But if “Cabinet of Curiosities” has a spiritual forbear, it is someone more sinister.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2022

Bellatine and Isaac know nothing of this Russian forbear, having both distanced themselves from their roots.

From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2022

"Frankly I do not myself feel at all like my great Tudor forbear."

From Reuters • Feb. 3, 2022

“At this I cannot forbear, and I say, ‘When it rains, sir?’

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Vocabulary lists containing forbear

Romeo and Juliet

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Grade 11, List 6

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The Hobbit

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