father

1 of 2

noun

fa·​ther ˈfä-t͟hər 

plural fathers

1

a(1)

: a male parent

(2)

: a man who has begotten a child

also : a male animal who has sired an offspring

b capitalized

(1)

: god sense 1

(2)

: the first person of the Trinity (see Trinity sense 1)

2

: forefather

the founding fathers

3

a

: one related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child

b

: an old man

—used as a respectful form of address

4

often capitalized : a pre-Scholastic (see scholastic sense 1a) Christian writer accepted by the church as an authoritative witness to its teaching and practice

called also church father

5

a

: one that originates or institutes

the father of modern science

b

: source

… the sun, the father of warmth and light.

—Lena M. Whitney

c

: prototype

the father of all libraries in the country

6

: a priest of the regular clergy

broadly : priest

—used especially as a title

7

: one of the leading men (as of a city)

—usually used in plural

a council of the city fathers

fatherhood

ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

fatherless

ˈfä-t͟hər-ləs 

adjective

fatherlike

ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌlīk 

adjective or adverb

father

2 of 2

verb

fathered; fathering ˈfät͟h-riŋ 

ˈfä-t͟hə-

transitive verb

1

a

: beget

b

: to be the founder, producer, or author of

fathered the improvement plan

c

: to accept responsibility for

2

a

: to fix the paternity or origin of

b

: to place responsibility for the origin or cause of

collected gossip and fathered it on responsible men

—J. A. Williamson

3

: foist, impose

intransitive verb

: to care for or look after someone as a father might

Synonyms

Noun

• dad
• daddy
• old man
• pa
• papa
• poppa
• pater [chiefly British]
• pop
• sire

Verb

• beget
• get
• sire

Examples of father in a Sentence

Noun

He became a father when he was 30.

He's the father of three small children.

He has been like a father to me.

He was a father to me after my own father died.

Verb

He was praised for fathering a plan to improve the city's schools.

Paul Revere somehow found room in his small house for the large family he had fathered.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hoover’s father, Darin Hoover, said in an interview that family members have been notified of the review team’s findings over each of the last two weekends. —Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

The investigation found numerous violations — including a coach paying money to the father of a recruit and another player cheating on a college entrance exam — and resulted in the team being banned from postseason play for two years and from TV appearances for one year. —Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 15 Apr. 2024

The father died at the nexus of two Sacramento crises: Unsafe road infrastructure and a spiraling homelessness epidemic. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024

More great reads Latinx Files: A eulogy for my father. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Her late father also created another, larger version of the work in all black for the greater community down the street at Mountain View Park. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024

He is tasked with recovering a stash of money hidden by his late father, cartel leader Benito Aretas, and avenging his death by assassinating those responsible for his arrest and conviction. —Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

Finding a Foreign Language: A father worried about his son’s ability to fit in. —Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

That year, their wedding ceremony, held at the home of Richie’s father Lionel Richie, featured a French garden theme with a live elephant—for good luck, said the bride—and a horse and carriage. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024

Verb

Nagel is said to have fathered at least 138 children, but the film doesn’t come down on whether this has any moral or genetic ramificatins, though on screen Nagel’s elderly mother loudly declares her opposition to the idea. —Pat Saperstein, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024

Shortly before the birth of his twin daughters, Combs fathered another daughter, Chance Combs, 18, with businesswoman Sarah Chapman. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2024

Shortly before the birth of his twin daughters, Combs fathered another daughter, Chance Combs, 18, with Sarah Chapman. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024

Friends said the victim had three young children, two of them fathered by Boykins. —City News Service, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024

Whom would you rather be fathered by, Job or Yahweh? —James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

While in Georgia, Afari also fathered a child, according to court documents. —The Enquirer, 18 Jan. 2024

Simon fathered three children and resumed his work as a plasterer. —Graham Womack, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024

The 10th president fathered 15 children, more than any other. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English fader, from Old English fæder; akin to Old High German fater father, Latin pater, Greek patēr

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing father

• birth father
• church father
• city father
• father figure
• father image
• father-in-law
• foster mother/father
• founding father
• single father

Kids Definition

father

1 of 2 noun

fa·​ther ˈfät͟h-ər 

ˈfȧth-

1

a

: a male parent

b

capitalized : god sense 1

c

capitalized : the first person of the Christian Trinity

2

: ancestor sense 1

3

: a man who cares for another as a father might

4

: a man who invents or begins something

the father of modern science

5

: priest

—used especially as a title

fatherhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

fatherless

-ləs 

adjective

father

2 of 2 verb

fathered; fathering ˈfät͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

ˈfȧt͟h-

1

a

: beget sense 1

b

: to be the founder, producer, or author of

2

: to treat or care for someone as a father