forest

1 of 2

noun

for·​est ˈfȯr-əst 

ˈfär-

often attributive

1

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract

A fire destroyed acres of forest.

forests of pine and mahogany

2

: a tract of wooded land in England formerly owned by the sovereign and used for game

3

: something resembling a forest especially in profusion or lushness

a forest of microphones

a kelp forest

a forest of skyscrapers

forestal

ˈfȯr-ə-stᵊl 

ˈfär-

adjective

or forestial

fə-ˈre-stē-əl 

fȯ-,

-ˈres-chəl,

-ˈresh-

forested

ˈfȯr-ə-stəd 

ˈfär-

adjective

forest

2 of 2

verb

forested; foresting; forests

transitive verb

: to cover with trees or forest

land densely forested with firs

forestation

ˌfȯr-ə-ˈstā-shən 

ˌfär-

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• forestland
• timber
• timberland
• wood(s)
• woodland

Examples of forest in a Sentence

Noun

Fires destroyed acres of forest.

the endless forest that the first European settlers encountered

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Loss of forest globally is a critical threat to biodiversity and climate change. —Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

They also can be purchased through select vendors in the mountains that have partnered with the forests. —John Meyer, The Denver Post, 9 Nov. 2024

Verb

For starters, more than three-quarters of the state is forested—and one out of four trees are showoff-y maples. —Meg Lukens Noonan, Outside Online, 26 Sep. 2024

Smooth granite boulders dot the river, which flows through a canyon lushly forested with oversize palm trees. —Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 10 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) unenclosed (woodland), from Latin foris outside — more at forum

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing forest

• cloud forest
• forest floor
• forest green
• forest ranger
• forest tent caterpillar
• gallery forest
• miss the forest for the trees
• national forest
• not see the forest for the trees
• rain forest
• temperate rain forest
• tropical rain forest

Kids Definition

forest

noun

for·​est

ˈfȯr-əst,

ˈfär-

: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area