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

Here's what to know A dry fall fuels wildfires from East Coast to west and puts Arizona forests on watch Navajo families don't trust their tap water, study says, and overpay for outside supplies What is a La Niña winter like? —Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024

But the program alone is not enough to restore the forest, said Brian Reatini, a geneticist with the U.S. Forest Service. —Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 20 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