founding father

noun

1

: an originator of an institution or movement : founder

2

often Founding Father : a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.

specifically : a member of the American Constitutional Convention of 1787

Synonyms of founding father

• founder
• creator
• father

Examples of founding father in a Sentence

a tribute to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the other Founding Fathers

Theodor Herzl is often credited as the founding father of modern Zionism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Redesign amid the Olympic rules Jean spent nearly a year working on the uniforms, only to be told last month that the image of Haiti’s founding father violated the International Olympic Committee rules prohibiting political, religious or racial propaganda at Olympic venues and on uniforms. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026

Atop Connecticut’s state Capitol building, Captain John Mason, depicted in his 1637 attack on the Pequots in Mystic, is enshrined among the state’s founding fathers. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026

Their actions weren’t legal under British law, and not all of the founding fathers supported the protest. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026

And our founding fathers discussed this extensively in the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers, from Hamilton to Jefferson, the whole spectrum. —NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for founding father

• bother
• forefather
• godfather
• grandfather
• stepfather

Kids Definition

founding father

noun

found·​ing father

ˈfau̇n-diŋ-

1

: one that starts or helps to start an institution or a movement

2

often capitalized : a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.

Legal Definition

founding father

noun

found·​ing fa·​ther

often capitalized both Fs

: a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.

specifically : a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787