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
forested; foresting; forests
: to cover with trees or forest
land densely forested with firs
Synonyms
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
Issy Ronald, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The biggest fiction premiere on free-to-air Spanish television in the past two years, racking up a 14.1% market share and 2.0 million viewers on its linear Feb. 25 bow, the daily series opens with a tense chase through lush forests.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Groups like Untamed Paths, a community of nature lovers, organize walks and cleanups to educate visitors about the importance of Singapore’s forest system, where creatures like flying lemurs and frogs can be spotted.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
First came containers loaded with equipment for a secluded property under renovation on the edge of the forest.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Africa contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions, but its vast natural resources, such as forests, are crucial in the fight against climate change.
—Taiwo Adebayo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
This scruffy but finely nuanced drama follows an unusual group of characters: four Sasquatches—mythical beings better known singly, as Bigfoot—making their way through the forests of the Pacific Northwest in the course of a year.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
Up front is a new grille pattern that senior design director Taisuke Nakamura says was inspired by the towering bamboo forests that dwarfed him during his childhood in Kyoto.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2024
The 1-hectare (about 2.5-acre) property is forested and contains two ponds.
—Lauren Beale, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Aspen forests shimmer in gold in mid-October, but the snows that can close U.S. Route 550 for days started falling before Halloween.
—Jonathan Weisman Benjamin Rasmussen, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Another nearly rainless summer had left the Sierra Nevada forests desert dry, and the National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag warning for strong winds and low humidity.
—John Riha, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2023
Scenic designer Nadir Bey’s set, forested with security-style floodlights, adds to the intensity.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
One of the likely reasons some parts of the community still don't have access to broadband is the terrain, which can be rocky and heavily forested.
—Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2023
The spongy moth is currently the most prevalent invasive problem in Wisconsin forests
The spongy moth, McNee said, is currently the biggest invasive problem for Wisconsin's trees.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
The ascent up its conical face promised to be an immersion into Guatemala’s natural order, taking us through an array of ecosystems, from farmland to cloud and alpine forests to the volcanic crater.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023
Noun
When the weather gets warmer, the toads begin their mating season and move from the forests to the eastern shore of the Sestroretsk Reservoir to lay eggs before returning to the forest again, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of St. Petersburg.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The biggest fiction premiere on free-to-air Spanish television in the past two years, racking up a 14.1% market share and 2.0 million viewers on its linear Feb. 25 bow, the daily series opens with a tense chase through lush forests.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Groups like Untamed Paths, a community of nature lovers, organize walks and cleanups to educate visitors about the importance of Singapore’s forest system, where creatures like flying lemurs and frogs can be spotted.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
First came containers loaded with equipment for a secluded property under renovation on the edge of the forest.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Africa contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions, but its vast natural resources, such as forests, are crucial in the fight against climate change.
—Taiwo Adebayo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
This scruffy but finely nuanced drama follows an unusual group of characters: four Sasquatches—mythical beings better known singly, as Bigfoot—making their way through the forests of the Pacific Northwest in the course of a year.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
Up front is a new grille pattern that senior design director Taisuke Nakamura says was inspired by the towering bamboo forests that dwarfed him during his childhood in Kyoto.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Bhutan is more than 70 percent forested and is the first carbon-negative country in the world, making hikes and wildlife spotting a part of daily life.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2024
The 1-hectare (about 2.5-acre) property is forested and contains two ponds.
—Lauren Beale, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Aspen forests shimmer in gold in mid-October, but the snows that can close U.S. Route 550 for days started falling before Halloween.
—Jonathan Weisman Benjamin Rasmussen, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Another nearly rainless summer had left the Sierra Nevada forests desert dry, and the National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag warning for strong winds and low humidity.
—John Riha, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2023
Scenic designer Nadir Bey’s set, forested with security-style floodlights, adds to the intensity.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
One of the likely reasons some parts of the community still don't have access to broadband is the terrain, which can be rocky and heavily forested.
—Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2023
The spongy moth is currently the most prevalent invasive problem in Wisconsin forests
The spongy moth, McNee said, is currently the biggest invasive problem for Wisconsin's trees.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
The ascent up its conical face promised to be an immersion into Guatemala’s natural order, taking us through an array of ecosystems, from farmland to cloud and alpine forests to the volcanic crater.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of forest was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing forest
Articles Related to forest
Dictionary Entries Near forest
Cite this Entry
“Forest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forest. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
forest
noun
for·est
ˈfȯr-əst,
ˈfär-
: a dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large area
More from Merriam-Webster on forest
Nglish: Translation of forest for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of forest for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about forest
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