An ancestor; a forefather; -- usually in the plural. [Scot.] "Your forbears of old." Sir W. Scott.
1. To refrain from proceeding; to pause; to delay. Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear 1 Kinds xxii. 6. 2. To refuse; to decline; to give no heed. Thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Ezek. ii. 7. ...