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An ancestor; a forefather; -- usually in the plural. [Scot.] "Your forbears of old." Sir W. Scott.

The act of forbearing or waiting; the exercise of patience. He soon shall findForbearance no acquittance ere day end. Milton.

Forbearing. [R.] Carlyle.

One who forbears. Tusser.

Disposed or accustomed to forbear; patient; long-suffering. -- For*bear"ing*ly, adv.

To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from. Not a few abstained from voting. Macaulay. Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt Shak.

The act or practice of abstaining; voluntary forbearance of any action, especially the refraining from an indulgence of appetite, or from customary gratifications of animal or sensual propensities. Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating beverages, -- called also total abstinence. The abstinence from…

acquiesce in an opinion; to assent to; usually, to concur, not heartily but so far as to forbear opposition.

Despotic; absolute in power; bound by no law; harsh and unforbearing; tyrannical; as, an arbitrary prince or government. Dryden. Arbitrary constant, Arbitrary function (Math.), a quantity of function that is introduced into the solution of a problem, and to which any value or form may at will be given, so that the solu…

oward; as, to bear up to one another. -- To bear with, to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.

r a shout or shouts of applause, triumph, etc. And even the ranks of Tusculum Could scare forbear to cheer. Macaulay.

let me compound this strife. Shak. To compound a felony, to accept of a consideration for forbearing to prosecute, such compounding being an indictable offense. See Theftbote.

Intentional failure or forbearance to discover a fault or wrongdoing; voluntary oversight; passive consent or co

To close the eyes upon a fault; to wink (at); to fail or forbear by intention to discover an act; to permit a proceeding, as if not aware of it; -- usually followed by at. To connive at what it does not approve. Jer. Taylor. In many of these, the directors were heartily concurring; in most of them, they were encouragin…

Forbearing to see; designedly inattentive; as, connivent justice. [R.] Milton.

traint as to the indulgence of desires or passions; temperate; moderate. Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower. Shak.

nyan. Cudgel play, a fight or sportive contest with cudgels. -- To cross the cudgels, to forbear or give up the contest; -- a phrase borrowed from the practice of cudgel players, who lay one cudgel over another when the contest is ended. -- To take up cudgels for, to engage in a contest in behalf of (some one or some…

To cease to proceed or act; to stop; to forbear; -- often with from. Never desisting to do evil. E. Hall. To desist from his bad practice. Massinger. Desist (thou art discern'd, And toil'st in vain). Milton.

To put under pledge; to pledge; to place under obligations to do or forbear doing something, as by a pledge, oath, or promise; to bind by contract or promise. "I to thee engaged a prince's word." Shak.

churches established in the faith. Acts xvi. 5. The best established tempers can scarcely forbear being borne down. Burke. Confidence which must precede union could be established only by consummate prudence and self-control. Bancroft.