fathering 1 of 2

Definition of fatheringnext

fathering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of father
as in siring
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 fathering
Verb
Crowe believes that Maximus fathering a son with a woman other than his wife tarnishes his character's legacy, as the gladiator's primary motivation in the original film is to avenge the deaths of his wife and son. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025 The novel opens as the teenage Karl Rossmann, whose parents shipped him off to America for fathering a child when he was seduced by the family’s thirty-five-year-old cook, arrives on a steamer in New York harbor and sees the Statue of Liberty holding not the emblematic torch but rather a sword. Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025 In June, the singer filed for a temporary restraining order and alleged that Wagner made false claims about living at her property, being in a relationship with her and fathering her child. Bryan West, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025 Josh O’Connor, at his filthy best, plays a disillusioned ’70s suburban dad married to Alana Haim and vaguely fathering a pair of pathologically chatty sons as the Vietnam War and its attendant protests color the world around them. Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025 According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE last week, the New England Patriots wide receiver is being accused by Lopera, who goes by Lord Gisselle on Instagram, of fathering a baby girl, who was born this past April. Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathering
Noun
  • Starring real-life brothers Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo alongside Sope Dirisu, the film explores memory, fatherhood and political transition on the day of Nigeria’s first post-coup election.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Not surprisingly, Rose doesn’t take well to fatherhood, but nobody gives it any thought, not even Suzanna, who Rose has been making love to with a strap-on bull’s horn.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Or, more recently, when Babcock from 2022-2024 defended Jones in paternity and breach of contract lawsuits.
    Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Aiono later became pregnant and underwent paternity testing to determine whether Nacua was the father of her son, Kingston.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The movie also offers a bunch of original Charli XCX tunes, spawning a soundtrack much better than the singer’s own lackluster mockumentary.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
  • That was the game that saw Perry ejected just a few minutes in, followed by him having to make the long walk from the rink to the dressing room at the Cotton Bowl, spawning a million memes in the process.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • With Mattie doing the child-rearing, John threw himself into music.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Certain traditional ideas about child rearing still prevailed.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The near side has a thin crust, low topography and KREEP, a geochemical component rich in heat-producing radioactive elements.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
  • These areas mimic a natural desert oasis environment, where trees are clumped together and left to grow naturally, producing fruit and nourishing the local wildlife.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Kirksey was able to use his upbringing to his advantage as a scout.
    Mike Kaye February 17, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Best-selling novelist Mark Haddon’s book charts his tragic upbringing with wit and grace.
    Laurie Hertzel, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Both cases were fodder for a media firestorm, begetting nightly news specials and full-length documentaries.
    Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The discovery, age five, that some people did not live in communities with all goods in common—that in fact for most, home was a locked building full of private property—begat questions still begetting questions at age thirteen.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport.
    Jocelyn Noveck, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Every memory holding the sum of us—not me alone, but a nesting doll of memories, proof that someone in the world once mothered us, even if that mothering had to come from only ourselves.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fathering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathering. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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