forest

[fawr-ist, for-]

noun

1. a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; woodland.

2. the trees on such a tract.

   to cut down a forest.

3. a tract of wooded grounds in England formerly belonging to the sovereign and set apart for game.

4. a thick cluster of vertical objects.

   a forest of church spires.

verb (used with object)

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

forest

/ fəˈrɛstɪəl, ˈfɒrɪst /

noun

1. a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants

2. the trees of such an area

3. an area planted with exotic pines or similar trees Compare bush 1

4. something resembling a large wooded area, esp in density

   a forest of telegraph poles

5. 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

6. (modifier) of, involving, or living in a forest or forests

   a forest glade

verb

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

forest

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

Other Word Forms

• forested adjective
• forestless adjective
• forestal adjective
• forest-like adjective
• forestial adjective
• forestlike adjective
• nonforest noun
• nonforested adjective
• unforested adjective
• well-forested adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of forest¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see can't see the forest for the trees.

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.

Example Sentences

Some work has been done to reduce fuels in the roughly 100-acre stretch of forest, but not all areas were treated.

From Los Angeles Times

We left the tar road and followed a patrol onto a dirt track into the forest.

From BBC

The Cowardly Lion no longer trills about becoming king of the forest.

From Los Angeles Times

And there is not much room to grow, since more than 80% of the county’s land is under state or federal control, mostly as parks, national forests or wildlife preserves.

From Los Angeles Times

The locals say Agnes is the “child of a forest witch” and she is indeed extraordinary: an able herbalist, beekeeper and falconer.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• jungle 
• park 
• thicket 
• timber 
• wood 
• woodland 

When To Use

What does forest mean?

A forest is a large area of land that’s covered in trees. The word forest can also refer collectively to those trees.An area that’s covered in trees can be described with the adjective forested.Less commonly, forest can be used as a verb meaning to cover an area with trees. This sense of the word is used in the terms deforestation (the clearing of a forested area) and reforesting (planting trees in a woodland that has been deforested or destroyed by a forest fire).Sometimes, forest is used in a figurative way to refer to a collection of vertical objects clustered together, as in Many of these new cities look like forests of skyscrapers. Example: We were deep in the forest, with no roads or buildings for miles.