father 1 of 2

noun

ˈfä-t͟hər How to pronounce father (audio)
Definition of fathernext
1
as in dad
a male human parent the special relationship that exists between fathers and sons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in founder
a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor Sir Isaac Newton is regarded by many as the father of modern science

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent our fathers founded this nation on the fundamental belief that no person is entitled to rule by divine right

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in Lord
capitalized the being worshipped as the creator and ruler of the universe let us ask humbly for the blessings of our Father in heaven

Synonyms & Similar Words

father

2 of 2

verb

as in to sire
to become the father of Paul Revere somehow found room in his small house for the large family he had fathered

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of father
Noun
Oyo was crowned in 1995, at the age of 3, after his father’s death. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 Our father taught us how to speak about patients respectfully— while acting efficiently and empathetically. — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
There, her enslaver fathered her child, George, who became known as Chicken George because of his skills working gamecock fights. — Anne Haley, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 His predecessor, Gino, fathered 14 offspring across multiple states over his lifetime, according to Disney. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for father
Recent Examples of Synonyms for father
  1. dad
  2. founder
  3. grandfather
  4. sire
  5. daddy
  6. creator
  7. ancestor
  8. spawn
Noun
  • Sisters Barani and Malu were born to first-time mom Ndari and dad Rakan at the Fort Worth Zoo on July 1 and weigh about 18 to 20 pounds each, or about the same as a large pumpkin, 13 weeks later.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Now dad and mom, who have been transporting them around for years in club softball, will have to begin looking for the cheapest flights to Tallahassee.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of dad
Noun
  • Another ideological ally is Peter Thiel, a co-founder of software firm Palantir who temporarily moved his family to Buenos Aires in April.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Axios reported in June that Virtue AI co-founders Bo Li, Dawn Song, and Sanmi Koyejo were joining Meta along with other employees from the startup.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of founder
Noun
  • The job-for-life that Fink remembers looked a lot like the one Farley went on to describe about his own grandfather, who worked for Ford.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But where John Steinbeck’s novel and the 1955 film made by Kazan’s grandfather Elia Kazan render her as a cipher, the embodiment of an unknowable evil, the Netflix version gives her far more texture and context.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of grandfather
Verb
  • Nobody complained when Pitt received the part of Louis de Pointe du Lac, a wealthy plantation owner in the late 18th century whom Lestat would eventually sire after Louis is consumed by grief over the death of his wife and child.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Somebody fell out of love — a complaint sired this inspection.
    — David J. Neal July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of sire
Noun
  • Everyone has heard of the ‘crazy cat lady,’ but cat daddies have their own cultural stereotypes.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • And the Indian Premier League, the daddy of franchise cricket leagues, is now into its second generation of private owners, with the whole shebang valued at $20billion.
    — Matt Slater, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of daddy
Noun
  • But while the creators of AI strive to set guardrails, the building of the infrastructure for the technology continues.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The 2026 schedule of festival activities includes gala screenings, anniversary screenings, and athlete and creator conversations.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of creator
Noun
  • By remaining involved in the businesses their ancestors began, these families have preserved and expanded their wealth across multiple generations while also shaping the American business landscape.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026
  • John Spencer, at the time heir to the Spencer earldom and styled as Viscount Althorp, was two years older than Queen Elizabeth II and descended from a long line of ancestors who served the British crown.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancestor
Verb
  • Additionally, Reacher has spawned a franchise with spinoff Neagley, starring Maria Sten, which is looking good for a Season 2 renewal.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Resident Evil, a 30-year-old horror game series, has previously spawned seven film adaptations, but it’s taken the director of Barbarian and Weapons to give us one that actually works.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of spawn

Phrases Containing father

Browse Nearby Words

fatheads
father
fathered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Father.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/father. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on father

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about father

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All