1
: food for animals especially when taken by browsing or grazing
The grass serves as forage for livestock.
2
[forage entry 2]
: the act of foraging : search for provisions
They made forages to find food.
foraged; foraging
1
: to strip of provisions : collect forage from
2
: to secure by foraging
foraged a chicken for the feast
1
: to wander in search of forage or food
2
: to secure forage (as for horses) by stripping the country
4
: to make a search : rummage
forager
noun
Synonyms
Examples of forage in a Sentence
Noun
The grass serves as forage for livestock.
Verb
The cows were foraging in the pasture.
He had to forage for firewood.
Recent Examples on the Web
Benji Jones, Vox, 18 June 2024
Massive amount of forage fish Before last year, the previous coho record had been held for 53 years with little variation in size.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 11 June 2024
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 June 2024
How the apes foraged must have changed as the seasons affected how the local plants grew.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for forage 
Noun
Not only was much of the forest gone, but wage workers had little time to hunt, fish, and forage, said Brian Burke, a professor of sustainable development at Appalachian State University.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 18 June 2024
Massive amount of forage fish Before last year, the previous coho record had been held for 53 years with little variation in size.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 11 June 2024
Verb
Share [Findings] Onshore wind turbines severely deter German bats from foraging.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 June 2024
How the apes foraged must have changed as the seasons affected how the local plants grew.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for forage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near forage
Cite this Entry
“Forage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forage. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
forage
1 of 2 noun
for·age
ˈfȯr-ij 
ˈfär-
1
: food (as pasture) for browsing or grazing animals
2
: a search for food or supplies
forage
2 of 2 verb
foraged; foraging
2
: to make a search especially for food or supplies
forage for grain
forage for firewood
3
: to get by foraging
forager
noun
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