fore

1 of 6

noun

ˈfȯr 

: something that occupies a front position

fore

2 of 6

adverb

1

: in, toward, or near the front : forward

The plane's exits are located fore and aft.

2

obsolete : at an earlier time or period

fore

3 of 6

adjective

1

: situated in front of something else : forward

2

: prior in order of occurrence : former

fore

4 of 6

preposition

variants or less commonly 'fore

1

: in the presence of

2

chiefly dialectal : before

fore

5 of 6

interjection

—used by a golfer to warn anyone within range of the probable line of flight of the ball

fore-

6 of 6

combining form

1

a

: earlier : beforehand

foresee

b

: occurring earlier : occurring beforehand

foreshock

2

a

: situated at the front : in front

foreleg

b

: front part of (something specified)

forearm

c

: foremast

foretop

Phrases

to the fore

: in or into a position of prominence : forward

Synonyms

Adjective

• anterior
• forward
• front
• frontal
• frontward
• frontwards

Preposition

• afore [chiefly dialect]
• ahead of
• before
• ere
• of
• previous to
• prior to
• to

Examples of fore in a Sentence

Adverb

The plane's exits are located fore and aft.

Adjective

the fore and aft cabins

cats have five fore toes but only four hind toes

Preposition

set out early with the hope of arriving fore the sunset

fore the stranger there swarmed a gaggle of curious street urchins

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But despite Jesus’ individual brilliance, this was a win in which Arsenal’s attacking players came to the fore as a collective. —James McNicholas, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024

Concerns about gun safety came to the fore yet again this week following the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, in which a teacher and student died as well as the shooter, Natalie Rupnow. —Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Finally, through years of swimming at an awkward 45-degree angle, the turtle mostly used its fore flippers, which led to atrophy of the hind limbs. —Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2024

Chinese are also in fore front of creating EV infrastructure and companies like Nio and CATL also offer battery swapping. —Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024

Interjection

Even with estimates coming in at the low end, a $215 million domestic tally fore Moana 2 would be more than enough to best The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s all-time record of the biggest five-day opening of any movie of all time. —Tim Lammers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Preposition

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English for

Adjective and Noun

fore-

Interjection

probably short for before

Combining form

Middle English for-, fore-, from Old English fore-, from fore, adverb

First Known Use

Noun

1637, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Interjection

circa 1878, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fore

• fore and aft
• fore-and-after
• fore-and-aft rig
• fore-topmast

Kids Definition

fore

1 of 5 adverb

ˈfō(ə)r 

ˈfȯ(ə)r

: in, toward, or near the front : forward

fore

2 of 5 adjective

: being or coming before in time, order, or space

fore

3 of 5 noun

: a front place or position

came to the fore

fore

4 of 5 interjection

—used by a golfer to warn anyone within range of a hit ball

fore-

5 of 5 combining form

1

a

: earlier : beforehand

foresee

b

: occurring earlier : occurring beforehand

forethought

2

a

: situated at the front : in front

foreleg

b

: front part of (something specified)

forearm

Etymology

Combining form

Old English fore- "earlier, beforehand"

Medical Definition

fore

adjective

ˈfō(ə)r, ˈfȯ(ə)r 

: situated in front of something else