father 1 of 2

noun

ˈfä-t͟hər How to pronounce father (audio)
Definition of fathernext
1
as in dad
a male human parent the special relationship that exists between fathers and sons

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2
as in founder
a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor Sir Isaac Newton is regarded by many as the father of modern science

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent our fathers founded this nation on the fundamental belief that no person is entitled to rule by divine right

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in Lord
capitalized the being worshipped as the creator and ruler of the universe let us ask humbly for the blessings of our Father in heaven

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father

2 of 2

verb

as in to sire
to become the father of Paul Revere somehow found room in his small house for the large family he had fathered

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of father
Noun
Her father, Robert Lee Parton, could not read or write and often supplemented the family's meager income from their farm by working construction jobs. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026 In the process, Ashley Duong uncovers painful memories that her father kept from her and his family until they were revealed in his 2024 memoir. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
Before he was arrested and convicted in connection with the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, Manson fathered four sons with four different women. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 To address the dwindling number of eligible heirs, the revisions allow distant male relatives to be adopted into the imperial family to father future successors. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for father
Recent Examples of Synonyms for father
  1. dad
  2. founder
  3. grandfather
  4. sire
  5. daddy
  6. creator
  7. ancestor
  8. spawn
Noun
  • Aside from his family — led by baseball-lifer dad James — Vilade is loved the most in the Rays clubhouse.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Other jobholders included dads with young children and women with no kids.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dad
Noun
  • Our first person in the spotlight this week is Jeff Bezos, founder of the American private spaceflight company Blue Origin.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Brian Hoerl, Phoenix’s co-founder and chief growth officer, said the engineers faced a problem without a clear playbook.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of founder
Noun
  • He was further informed that Freya’s grandfather survived the devastating Russian siege of Bucha in 2022.
    — Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • His mother had told him a man named Elvin Hunt might have been King’s biological grandfather instead of the person listed as King’s grandfather of record.
    — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of grandfather
Verb
  • Somebody fell out of love — a complaint sired this inspection.
    — David J. Neal July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Gun Runner’s stable still has the brass nameplate of its former occupant, legendary 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, who also sired an impressive line of runners.
    — Graham Cornwell, New York Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of sire
Noun
  • Yet these survivors are so hard-wired to be fearful of their neighbors that Hig and Cima’s rusty, tentative flirtation takes place under the gaze of her daddy’s gun, a heck of a chaperone.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • At this early juncture, the O’Hare Flyer needs a Chicago train daddy, to borrow the moniker famously given to the British transit executive Andy Byford, who now is leading the overhaul of New York’s Penn Station.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of daddy
Noun
  • Throughout the first season of Furious, creator Elizabeth Meriwether and company deftly explored the idea of female vengeance, all while making Catherine into a kind of antihero for the ages.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Visual art pieces will come from Sacramento-area creators like Taner Pasamehmetoglu, Jason Silva, Ginger Thompson, Raul Mejia and second-generation neon sign artist Melissa Uroff.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of creator
Noun
  • Essay Get the Lead Out Alex Manley Our ancestors were born to die by predators.
    — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For the last decade, genealogical consultant Grant Din has helped Asian Americans find information about their ancestors, many of whom passed through San Francisco’s Angel Island Immigration Station in the 1900s.
    — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestor
Verb
  • South Florida’s turbulent weather since the weekend that killed a mother and her daughter, spawned an Everglades wildfire, and mixed heat with storms looks to remain unsettled — including for Friday’s Miami Dolphins home game.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Fly’s brand of rap, defined by spare, steely 808 beats and club shoutouts, was wildly popular, spawning nearly 50 mixtape volumes and many more songs since.
    — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of spawn

Phrases Containing father

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fatheads
father
fathered
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Cite this Entry

“Father.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/father. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on father

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about father

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