fore-
UK/fɔː//fɔɹ/
fore- prefix: before: the root is happening earlier in time. Also the alternative form of for-.
Prefix (1)
fore-
- Before: the root is happening earlier in time.
- foreshadow
- forewarn
- The early stage of the root time period
- foredawn
- foreday
- Directly or immediately preceding in time.
- forebirth
- foreking
- Positioned at or near the front.
- forebooth
- foregear
- The fore of a ship.
- forecabin
- forebridge
- Anterior: the frontal part of a body.
- forebrain
- forehoof
- Outer: the leading, outward portion of a wave or effort; or a distal part of a body.
- forebeam
- forefront
- Forepart: the front part of an object or area.
- forebody
- forecourt
- Near, close to, adjacent in position.
- foredune
- foreland
- Nearest: the part of the root which is nearest/closest.
- forebeach
- forefield
- Forward in temporal direction, anticipating.
- foredawn
- foreglimpse
- Forward in spatial direction.
- forehearth
- forebite
Show 6 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- Outward in spatial direction.
- forecry
- forehand
- Previous or earlier in order or sequence.
- foredescribed
- forebook
- First in order or sequence.
- forebell
- forefinger
- Greater in rank, superior
- forehand
- forechoice
- Prominent, most important, foremost or greatest in rank
- forecolour
- forehand
- Ancestor, ancestral
- forebear
- forefather
Prefix (2)
fore-
- Used to indicate error, exclusion, or inadequacy; Alternative form of for-.
- forelay
Also used as
fore- is also the alternative form of for-.
Synonyms of fore-
Antonyms
Origin of fore-
From Middle English fore-, from Old English fore-, from Proto-West Germanic *forē-, from Proto-Germanic *fura-, *furai- (“before, in front of, for”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, formerly; through, throughout”). Akin to Old Saxon and Old High German fora-, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰- (faura-) (see 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 (faura)), Dutch voor- (“fore-”).
"Occurring only in words adopted from French, as forcatch v., forfeit n., forprise n., represents Old French for-, fors-, identical with fors adv. (modern French hors) outside, out."
Words formed from fore-
- forebite
- forebuilding
- foredeal
- foregain
- foregainst
- foregaze
- foreglance
- forehearth
- forelead
- foredawn
- foreday
- foreyear
- forebirth
- forehammer
- foreking
- forebeam
- forebody
- foreboom
- forebrace
- forebridge
- forecabin
- forecastle
- forechain
- forecourse
- foredeck
- forefence
- forefoot
- foreganger
- forehold
- forehood
- forehook
- forby
- foredune
- foreground
- foreland
- forearm
- forebelief
- forebode
- foreboding
- forecast
- forechoice
- forechoose
- forecutter
- foredestine
- foredoom
- foregame
- fore-give
- foregleam
- foreglimpse
- foreguess
- forehalsen
- foreholding
- foreken
- forecaddie
- forecry
- forefighter
- foreflow
- forehand
- foreintend
- foreleader
Words that rhyme with fore-
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about fore-
- What does fore- mean?
- Fore- means before: the root is happening earlier in time.
- What part of speech is fore-?
- Fore- is a prefix.
- How do you pronounce fore-?
- Fore- is pronounced /fɔː/ (UK).
Words near fore- in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: fore- (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-fore.ogg.
Cite this entry: “fore-.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/fore-. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.