ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor ˈan-ˌse-stər 

also -sə-

1

a

: one from whom a person is descended and who is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent

Her ancestors came to America in the 1880s.

b

: forefather sense 2

2

: forerunner, prototype

an exhibit of the ancestors of the modern computer

3

: a progenitor (see progenitor sense 1b) of a more recent or existing species or group

the ancestor of the modern horse

Synonyms of ancestor

• grandfather
• father

Examples of ancestor in a Sentence

My ancestors came to America during the 1800s.

Her ancestors were great sea captains.

an ancient animal that was the ancestor of the modern horse

The museum included an exhibit showing ancestors of the modern computer.

several languages that are derived from a common ancestor

Latin is the ancestor of Italian and French.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of these is likely the evolutionary ancestor of all that is to come. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

The driving force for the tour is the idea that Black Americans and Muslims must unapologetically tell their own story, something their ancestors couldn’t do. — Julie Carr Smyth, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

The secretary’s beef-intensive diet, which is shared by other members of the Cabinet, including Vice President Vance, is informed by the idea that people should be eating as our prehistoric ancestors did. — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026

To decorate the feet in designer duds, to emphasize their strangeness, their alien qualities that tie us to our distant ape ancestors, with expensive materials and odd shapes, is to walk fashion forward with Darwinian chic. — Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ancestre, from Anglo-French, from Latin antecessor predecessor, from antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ancestor

• ancestor worship

Rhymes for ancestor

• arrester
• digester
• investor
• protester
• requester
• semester
• sequester
• silvester
• trimester
• ester
• esther
• fester

Kids Definition

ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor ˈan-ˌses-tər 

1

: one from whom an individual, group, or species is descended

2

: something from which something else has developed : forerunner

Etymology

Middle English ancestre "ancestor," from early French ancestre (same meaning), from Latin antecessor "one that goes before," derived from earlier antecedere "to go before," from ante- "before" and cedere "to go, yield" — related to concede, predecessor

Legal Definition

ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor

1

a

: a person from whom an individual is descended : ascendant

b

: a person from whom an estate descends compare heir

2

: one that precedes

ancestor in title