for-

/fɔː(ɹ)/unstressed/fə(ɹ)/

prefix

Forth: prefixed to verbs to indicate a direction of 'away', 'off', 'forth'.

“fordo”

Meanings

for-1

prefix
  1. idiomaticForth: prefixed to verbs to indicate a direction of 'away', 'off', 'forth'.

    forban

    5 more examples

    forsteal

    forloppin

    fordrive

    fortake

    forthrow

  2. idiomaticExhausting: prefixed to verbs with the sense of wearing or exhausting oneself.

    forsing

    2 more examples

    forwander

    fortravel

  3. idiomaticDestructively: prefixed to verbs with the sense of destruction or pain.

    fordo

    2 more examples

    forhang

    forthink

  4. idiomaticWrongly: prefixed to verbs with the sense of wrongly, amorally.

    forlead

    4 more examples

    forteach

    forswear

    forworship

    forlive

  5. idiomaticNeglectfully: prefixed to verbs with the sense of abstaining from or neglecting.

    forslip

    2 more examples

    forslug

    forslack

  6. idiomaticVery: intensifying adjectives.

    forblack

    1 more example

    forswollen

  7. idiomaticMaking: prefixed to verbs to indicate the subject takes the character of the verb.

    fordote

    1 more example

    forguilt

  8. idiomaticExcessively: prefixed to verbs with the sense of doing so in excessive or overwhelm.

    forwax

    2 more examples

    forgrow

    forhare

  9. idiomaticExcluding: prefixed to verbs to give the sense of prohibition or exclusion.

    forbar

    2 more examples

    forjudge

    forshut

  10. idiomaticIntensively

    forlay

    2 more examples

    forbeat

    fordread

  11. idiomaticThoroughly: prefixed to verbs with the sense of thoroughly, all over.

    forgrow

    3 more examples

    forbathe

    forseek

    forwrap

for-2

prefix
  1. alternativeAlternative form of fore-.

    fordede

    2 more examples

    forstand

    forlead

for-3

prefix

alternative fore-

  1. rareOutside, out.

    forfeit

    2 more examples

    foreclose

    forprise

Origin

for- · prefix

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pro-
  2. Proto-Germanic*fur-
  3. Proto-Germanic*fra-
  4. Old Englishfor-
  5. Middle Englishfor-
  6. Englishfor-

From Middle English for-, vor-, ver-, from Old English for-, fer-, fær-, fyr- (“far, away, completely”, prefix), from the merger of Proto-Germanic *fra- ("away, away from"; see fro, from) and Proto-Germanic *fur-, *far- (“through, completely, fully”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-, *per-, *pr-. Cognate with Scots for-, West Frisian fer-, for-, Dutch ver-, German ver-, Swedish för-, Danish for-, Norwegian for-, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰- (fra-), Latin pro-. More at for.

Full word history & related roots →

for- · prefix

  1. Old Englishfor-
  2. Englishfor-

From Old English for-, which is identical with the preposition "for". In "Old English and Middle English it occurs frequently as a variant of fore- prefix, with the senses ‘before’, ‘in front’, ‘on behalf of’, etc.; cf. Old English for-, forecuman to come before, Middle English forganger and foreganger n."

Full word history & related roots →

for- · prefix

"Occurring only in words adopted from French, as forcatch v., forfeit n., forprise n., represents Old French for-, fors-, identical with fors adv. (modern French hors) outside, out."

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

for-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for-

MLA

“for-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “for-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/for-.

Source: for- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.