51Թ

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View synonyms for

fore

1

[fawr]

adjective

  1. situated at or toward the front, as compared with something else.

  2. previous; earlier.

    cities that existed in a fore time.

  3. Nautical.

    1. of or relating to a foremast.

    2. noting a sail, yard, boom, etc., or any rigging belonging to a fore lower mast or to some upper mast of a foremast.

    3. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a fore lower mast or to some specified upper mast of a foremast.

      fore topmast stay.

    4. situated at or toward the bow of a vessel; forward.

adverb

  1. Nautical.at or toward the bow.

  2. forward.

  3. Obsolete.before.

noun

  1. the forepart of anything; front.

  2. Nautical.the fore, the foremast.

preposition

  1. Informal.Also 'fore before.

fore

2

[fawr, fohr]

interjection

Golf.

  1. (used as a cry of warning to persons on a course who are in danger of being struck by the ball.)

fore-

3

  1. a prefix meaning “before” (in space, time, condition, etc.), “front,” “superior,” etc..

    forehead; forecastle; forecast; foretell; foreman.

fore

1

/ ɔː /

adjective

  1. (usually in combination) located at, in, or towards the front

    the forelegs of a horse

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the front part

  2. something located at, in, or towards the front

  3. short for foremast

  4. located at or directed towards both ends of a vessel

    a fore-and-aft rig

    1. to or into the front or conspicuous position

    2. alive or active

      is your grandfather still to the fore?

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. at or towards a ship's bow

  2. obsoletebefore

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

preposition

  1. a less common word for before

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fore-

2

prefix

  1. before in time or rank

    foresight

    forefather

    foreman

  2. at or near the front; before in place

    forehead

    forecourt

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fore

3

/ ɔː /

interjection

  1. (in golf) a warning shout made by a player about to make a shot

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of fore1

By construal of fore- as an adjective, hence nominalized; fore and aft perhaps as translation of Dutch or Low German; sense “before” fore 1 ( defs. 6, 9 ) perhaps continuation of Middle English, Old English fore in this sense, or as shortening of afore

Origin of fore2

First recorded in 1875–80; probably shortening of before

Origin of fore3

Combining form representing Middle English, Old English for ( e )
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of fore1

Old English; related to Old Saxon, Old High German fora , Gothic faura , Greek para , Sanskrit pura

Origin of fore2

Old English, from fore (adv)

Origin of fore3

C19: probably short for before
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

  1. fore and aft, in, at, or to both ends of a ship.

  2. to the fore,

    1. into a conspicuous place or position; to or at the front.

    2. at hand; ready; available.

    3. still alive.

In addition to the idioms beginning with fore, also see to the fore.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

West Indies' lack of batting depth came to the fore once again and their hopes in the longer format appear bleak unless Matthews continues to work miracles.

From

In 2024, Democrats shook things up at the behest of President Biden, eliminating their kickoff caucuses in Iowa and pushing South Carolina and Nevada to the fore.

From

The less that constitutional politics is to the fore, the more space there will be to discuss the competing offers from rival parties on the domestic issues over which Holyrood has control.

From

The battle between the Greens and Labour for younger, urban progressives is likely to come to the fore in future local elections.

From

Opinion polls indicate that, since late 2023, Canadian concerns over the climate fell as worries over rising prices, energy and housing costs came to the fore.

From

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When To Use

What doesfore- mean?

Fore- is a prefix meaning “before,” "front," or "superior." It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms. In some terms, such as fore-check, the prefix is separated from the second element with a hyphen.Fore- comes from Old English for(e), meaning “before” or “front.” The Latin cognate and translation is prae “before,” which is the source of pre-, as in prefix and preposition. Learn more at our entry for each word.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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