forefather

noun

fore·​fa·​ther ˈfȯr-ˌfä-t͟hər 

1

: ancestor sense 1a

2

: a person of an earlier period and common heritage

Synonyms of forefather

• ancestor
• grandfather
• father

Examples of forefather in a Sentence

our forefathers bought this farm, and our family has worked it for three generations

Recent Examples on the Web

The military forefathers of the Valley must have been horrified at the hippies their children became, though by the eighties the arc of flower power had bent toward the common ground of Wall Street. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

The original maps, with all due respect to the forefathers of FEMA, were kind of done on paper and crayon. —Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025

Earlier this year at Coachella, funk forefather George Clinton gifted Leon Thomas a custom hat, lauding him as one of the contemporary torchbearers of the genre. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025

That routine is pieced together by tips and tidbits Hardaway has gathered from his own perimeter forefathers over the years. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forefather

• bother
• father
• godfather
• grandfather
• stepfather

Kids Definition

forefather

noun

fore·​fa·​ther ˈfō(ə)r-ˌfät͟h-ər 

ˈfȯ(ə)r-, 

-ˌfȧt͟h-

1

: ancestor sense 1

2

: a person of an earlier period and similar culture