founding father

noun

1

: an originator of an institution or movement : founder

2

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

specifically : a member of the American Constitutional Convention of 1787

Synonyms

• 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

Jobs was one of the three founding fathers of Pixar Animation Studios, after having purchased the group from LucasFilm in 1986. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025

He’s seen how the show’s political themes and its depiction of America’s founding fathers have resonated with audiences in different ways as the political landscape of the country has changed. —Gordon Cox, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025

Instead, King issued a statement quoting a founding father. —Tess Riski august 2, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2025

Two decades later, in 2024, a now-infamous attempt by Google to reduce bias in the image-generation capabilities of its Gemini model led it to depict American founding fathers and World War II nazi officers as people of color. —Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1892, 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