View synonyms for forest

forest

[ fawr-ist, for- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; woodland.
the trees on such a tract:
to cut down a forest.
a tract of wooded grounds in England formerly belonging to the sovereign and set apart for game.
a thick cluster of vertical objects:
a forest of church spires.

verb (used with object)

to supply or cover with trees; convert into a forest.

forest

/ fəˈrɛstɪəl; ˈfɒrɪst /

noun

a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants
the trees of such an area
an area planted with exotic pines or similar trees Compare bush 1
something resembling a large wooded area, esp in density
a forest of telegraph poles
law (formerly) an area of woodland, esp one owned by the sovereign and set apart as a hunting ground with its own laws and officers Compare park
modifier of, involving, or living in a forest or forests
a forest glade

verb

tr to create a forest (in); plant with trees

forest

/ fôr′ĭst /

A growth of trees covering a large area. Forests exist in all regions of the Earth except for regions of extreme cold or dryness.

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Derived Forms

ˈforested, adjective
ˈforestless, adjective
ˈforestal, adjective
ˈforest-ˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

forest·al fo·res·tial [f, uh, -, res, -ch, uh, l], adjective
forest·ed adjective
forest·less adjective
forest·like adjective
non·forest noun
non·forest·ed adjective
un·forest·ed adjective
well-forest·ed adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of forest¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin forestis (silva) “an unenclosed wood” (as opposed to a park), derivative of Latin forīs “outside.” foreign

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Word History and Origins

Origin of forest¹

C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin forestis unfenced woodland, from Latin foris outside

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Idioms and Phrases

see can't see the forest for the trees .

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Synonym Study

Forest, grove, wood refer to an area covered with trees. A forest is an extensive area, preserving some or all of its primitive wildness and usually having game or wild animals in it: Sherwood Forest; the Black Forest. A grove is a group or cluster of trees, usually not very large in area and cleared of underbrush. It is usually tended or cultivated: a shady grove; a grove of pines; an orange grove; a walnut grove. Woods (or a wood ) resembles a forest but is a smaller tract of land, less wild in character, and generally closer to civilization: lost in the woods; a wood covering several acres.

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Example Sentences

He first rose to prominence as a lawyer in Queens, who settled a boiling racial dispute over public housing in Forest Hills.

From The Daily Beast

“It fundamentally changes the architecture of forest canopies,” says Watson.

From The Daily Beast

The birds poop all over the forest, and thanks to the viscin, the mistletoe seeds in said poop stick to branches.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, most of the suffering species ate insects on the forest floor.

From The Daily Beast

From the looks of it, mistletoe is a keystone species and plays a crucial role in that forest ecosystem.

From The Daily Beast

However, they were not seen to venture far into the surrounding deciduous forest.

From Project Gutenberg

He swims every day in the river; he fishes from his bamboo raft; he hunts in the forest with his father.

From Project Gutenberg

And the covering of Juda shall be discovered, and thou shalt see in that day the armoury of the house of the forest.

From Project Gutenberg

After this it wound along on ridges and in ravines till it reached the heart of a great pine forest, where stood a saw-mill.

From Project Gutenberg

They started in the early morning and rode out over the plains till they came to the edge of a large forest.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

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