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
Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
Owens Viani said proponents had also hoped to create buffer zones around agricultural areas, where birds of prey forage and which are part of habitat ranges for mountain lions, coyotes and other animals.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024
Flavors feature fruits and plants foraged on the island, from mango and coconut to pandan and ube.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for forage 
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Noun
Ultimately, the study found that the availability of nutritional forage had the largest impact on moose population growth across the three study areas.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
Owens Viani said proponents had also hoped to create buffer zones around agricultural areas, where birds of prey forage and which are part of habitat ranges for mountain lions, coyotes and other animals.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
The outdoor space is especially of note—there’s a six-person table in the backyard and even a lemon tree that guests can forage from (perhaps as a garnish for a refreshing cocktail).
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024
Flavors feature fruits and plants foraged on the island, from mango and coconut to pandan and ube.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for forage
Dictionary Entries Near forage
Cite this Entry
“Forage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forage. Accessed 30 Nov. 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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