ancestor

noun

ˈan-ˌse-stər How to pronounce ancestor (audio)
Definition of ancestornext
1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 ancestor For millennia, upward of 5,000 ancestors living in the basin, many trekking to higher elevation to gather food in the summertime. — Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 In between Amos’s lines, In Times of Dragons is a saga of survival introducing different muses along the way, from a real-life ancestor, a martyr who fell in love with Jesus, and a group of rugged women. — Tina Eves, SPIN, 13 July 2026 Each family has developed its own strategies for explaining and remembering their ancestors' actions in 1898. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 However, when her island's resources are threatened, Moana embraces her ancestors' voyaging heritage and heads out to sea to find Maui, deliver the heart of Te Fiti (which Maui stole back in the day) and save her people. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
  1. grandfather
  2. forerunner
  3. father
  4. precursor
  5. predecessor
  6. prototype
Noun
  • When Intocable lead singer and founding member Ricky Muñoz was growing up in Zapata, Texas, his grandfather sold a cow to buy him an accordion.
    — Ernesto Lechner, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • Further inside, a fragment of a gate has a for-sale sign, candles, guayaberas and two colorful chairs — like memories from a grandfather’s house.
    — Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of grandfather
Noun
  • The city had a history of assimilating such yearners, most notably Madonna, Swift’s forerunner and her own Middle American transplant success story.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
  • The group, which includes Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen, is becoming a forerunner in the promising progress of a new type of vehicle battery.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 June 2026
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • Nessie is a native Londoner born to a Singaporean mother and an Egyptian father.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 22 July 2026
  • As someone who fed on emotion and belonging throughout his career, Keegan had always felt the pull of Newcastle United, the club of his father.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of father
Noun
  • For example, a single enrichment run could routinely produce ytterbium-176, the precursor used to manufacture lutetium-177 (Lu-177).
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • The faction’s precursors backed ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad’s son-in-law and cousin, immediately after Muhammad’s death in 632.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026
Definition of precursor
Noun
  • The former Manchester mayor has presented himself as Labour’s savior after many grim months of public polling showed his predecessor was suffering the lowest approval ratings of any British premier in history.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026
  • In fact, four of the six British prime ministers in the past decade took the top job by winning internal party leadership contests to replace their predecessors, not by public vote.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of predecessor
Noun
  • The company showed Kimi K3 optimizing GPU kernels, developing a GPU compiler called MiniTriton, designing a prototype AI chip using open-source electronic design automation tools, and completing a computational astrophysics workflow.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026
  • Japan has succeeded in the first-ever flight test of its RV-X experimental reusable rocket prototype.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of prototype

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anatomy
ancestor
ancestors
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Cite this Entry

“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ancestor for Spanish Speakers

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