as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
our forefathers bought this farm, and our family has worked it for three generations
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Recent Examples of forefather
Given the more than 130 such institutions in that city, the Yanks have yet to catch up to their forefathers—and still have much to learn.
—
Air Mail, 6 Sep. 2025
Remember: In 1776, our forefathers had the courage to use the power of the press to call attention to a tyrant by the name of King George.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
The younger members of the Katzenellenbogen clan are certain that their forefathers’ way of life is no longer viable.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
So Far Chop’s legacy is cemented as a drill forefather and, as such, one of the most important producers in hip-hop history.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Air Mail, 6 Sep. 2025
Remember: In 1776, our forefathers had the courage to use the power of the press to call attention to a tyrant by the name of King George.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
The younger members of the Katzenellenbogen clan are certain that their forefathers’ way of life is no longer viable.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
So Far Chop’s legacy is cemented as a drill forefather and, as such, one of the most important producers in hip-hop history.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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The ancestors were taken from the Riverside Cemetery site near the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between 1961 and 1963 during a joint excavation led by anthropologists Robert Retzenthaler for the Milwaukee Public Museum and Robert Hrushka for the Oshkosh Public Museum.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Furthermore, the analyses consistently position the new species as an ancestor of the entire dyrosaurid group.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After their grandmother’s death in 1972 — followed soon after by their grandfather’s — Keith and Aileen became wards of the state.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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The brand’s Matisse Collection is uniquely sentimental and significant because the renowned artist was the great-grandfather of East Fork’s founder.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After the death of his addict father, Ethan heads back to see if there’s any money to be made from selling his home, intending to stay, only briefly, with his aunt Sarah, Metcalf’s character, a Brunhilde of the high prairie.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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When Aileen was 20 years old, the same year her father died, her older brother died of cancer, per Britannica.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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