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to the fore

 - 5 dictionary results

fore

1[fawr, fohr]
–adjective
1. situated at or toward the front, as compared with something else.
2. first in place, time, order, rank, etc.; forward; earlier.
3. Nautical.
a. of or pertaining to a foremast.
b. noting a sail, yard, boom, etc., or any rigging belonging to a fore lower mast or to some upper mast of a foremast.
c. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a fore lower mast or to some specified upper mast of a foremast: fore topmast stay.
d. situated at or toward the bow of a vessel; forward.
–adverb
4. Nautical. at or toward the bow.
5. forward.
6. Obsolete. before.
–noun
7. the forepart of anything; front.
8. the fore, Nautical. the foremast.
–preposition, conjunction
9. Also, 'fore. Informal. before.
10. fore and aft, Nautical. in, at, or to both ends of a ship.
11. to the fore,
a. into a conspicuous place or position; to or at the front.
b. at hand; ready; available.
c. still alive.

Origin:
by construal of fore- as an adj., hence nominalized; fore and aft perh. as trans. of D or LG; sense “before” (defs. 6, 9) perh. continuation of ME, OE fore in this sense, or as aph. form of afore
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To to the fore
fore   (fôr, fōr)   
adj.  
  1. Located at or toward the front; forward.

  2. Earlier in order of occurrence; former.

n.  
  1. Something that is located at or toward the front.

  2. The front part.

adv.  
  1. At, toward, or near the front; forward.

  2. At an earlier time.

prep.   also 'fore
Before.
interj.   Sports
Used by a golfer to warn those ahead that a ball is headed in their direction.

[Middle English, beforehand, before, in front of, from Old English; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fore 
O.E. fore (prep.) "before, in front of;" (adv.) "before, previously," common Gmc. (cf. O.H.G. fora, O.Fris. fara, Ger. vor, Goth. faiura, O.N. fyrr "for"); from PIE *per-/*pr- (cf. Skt. pura "before, formerly;" Avestan paro "before;" Hittite para- "on, forth;" Gk. paros "before," para "from beside, beyond," peri "around, about, toward," pro "before;" L. pro "before, for, on behalf of, instead of," prae "before," per "through, for;" O.C.S. pra-dedu "great-grandfather"). The warning cry in golf is first recorded 1878, probably a contraction of before. The forehand tennis stroke is from 1889. Sexual sense of foreplay is first recorded 1929. Foreshadow is from 1577, on the notion of a shadow thrown before an object and suggesting what is to come; forebode "feel a secret premonition" is from 1603; foretell and forethought are both from c.1300. Foreshorten is from 1606; forever (adv.) is first recorded 1670. Forefather "ancestor" first attested c.1300, perhaps from O.N. forfaðir.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fore
Pronunciation: 'fO(&)r, 'fo(&)r
Function: adjective
: situated in front of something else
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

to the fore

In, into, or toward a position of prominence, as in A new virtuoso pianist has come to the fore. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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