forearm

forearm — noun

IPA/ˈfɔːrɑːm/
KK[fˈɔrˌɑrm]IPA/ˈfɔːrɑːrm/
  • forearmsingular
  • forearmsplural

1. the long, narrow section of your arm that stretches from your elbow joint down t

1.nounA2
Definition

the long, narrow section of your arm that stretches from your elbow joint down to your wrist, helping you twist your palm, grip objects, and carry things

Example

The doctor wrapped a bandage around Hari's forearm, covering the cut from wrist to elbow.

forearm as body part in medical context

Élise rested her forearms on the kitchen counter while waiting for the water to boil.

Common collocations
  • break one's forearm
  • forearm muscles
  • forearm fracture
  • tattoo on one's forearm
  • grab someone by the forearm
  • rest one's forearms on something
Synonyms
  • lower arm

    less common; describes the same body part without using the anatomical term

Antonyms
  • upper arm

    the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow

Grammar Patterns

the + forearm

possessive + forearm

forearm + noun

Common Mistakes

He hurt his arm between the shoulder and the elbow.
He hurt his forearm.
'forearm' specifically means the lower part between elbow and wrist, not the upper arm.

forearm — verb

IPA/ˌfɔːrˈɑːm/
KK[fɔrˈɑrm]IPA/ˌfɔːrˈɑːrm/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Forearm', 'upper arm', and 'arm' refer to different sections of the same limb. 'Arm' (A1) is the general term for the whole limb from shoulder to hand and is what learners should use for everyday situations. 'Forearm' (A2) specifies the lower part between the elbow and wrist — you need this word when talking about watches, tattoos, wrist injuries, or certain sports movements. 'Upper arm' (B1) is the section between the shoulder and elbow, used in contexts like vaccine injections, muscle building, or sleeve measurements. For a learner: 'I hurt my arm' is fine for most situations, but 'I broke my forearm' is precise medical language, and 'the vaccine went into his upper arm' describes a different spot.

forearm ↗upper armarm ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • forearm muscles
  • forearm fracture
  • forearm tattoo
  • forearm strength

Adverbs

  • well forearmed
  • already forearmed
  • fully forearmed

Phrases

Prepositions

  • forearmed against
  • forearmed with
  • forearmed for

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'forearm' comes from Old English 'forearm' (c. 1000), where 'fore-' means 'front part of' combined with 'arm'. The idea is 'the front part of the arm' — when you stand with arms at your sides, the forearm faces forward. The verb form appeared in the 1500s, created from 'fore-' (beforehand) + 'arm' (to equip with weapons). The related proverb 'forewarned is forearmed' — knowing about a danger is as good as having a weapon — dates from the late 1500s and helped keep the verb in use.