1
as in dads
a male human parent
the special relationship that exists between fathers and sons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in founders
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 grandfathers
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
as in sires
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
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Recent Examples of fathers
Azar Nafisi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Tisch and John Mara have functioned as the Giants franchise’s controlling owners for their respective families since the passing of their fathers, Bob Tisch and Wellington Mara, in 2005.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
What about the role of the church in dissent about the policies being proposed or existing right now—five-year-old kids separated from their fathers, detention centers filling up?
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
This season is about fathers and sons.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Tens of millions of Iranians rely on the regime for their livelihood, and tens of thousands of fathers and sons serve in the security forces that would be targeted.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Earlier this month, Liam was once again competing at the track near Houston when a fight erupted between two fathers whose sons were racing.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026
Several youth hockey players and their families were hospitalized, and one of their fathers died after a multi-vehicle crash in Colorado.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Some are sons named after fathers such as Hall of Famers Earl Averill, Eddie Collins, Tony Gwynn, Vladimir Guerrero, Tim Raines, Ed Walsh and their sons, or Ken Griffey and his Hall of Famer son.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
And again the morgues and graveyards of Iran received fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.
—Azar Nafisi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Tisch and John Mara have functioned as the Giants franchise’s controlling owners for their respective families since the passing of their fathers, Bob Tisch and Wellington Mara, in 2005.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
What about the role of the church in dissent about the policies being proposed or existing right now—five-year-old kids separated from their fathers, detention centers filling up?
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
This season is about fathers and sons.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Tens of millions of Iranians rely on the regime for their livelihood, and tens of thousands of fathers and sons serve in the security forces that would be targeted.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Earlier this month, Liam was once again competing at the track near Houston when a fight erupted between two fathers whose sons were racing.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026
Several youth hockey players and their families were hospitalized, and one of their fathers died after a multi-vehicle crash in Colorado.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Some are sons named after fathers such as Hall of Famers Earl Averill, Eddie Collins, Tony Gwynn, Vladimir Guerrero, Tim Raines, Ed Walsh and their sons, or Ken Griffey and his Hall of Famer son.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathers
Noun
-
Moms and dads are always looking for different ways to keep their kids occupied.—
Mekialaya White,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Now that Davidson has joined the new dads club, parenthood has been a topic of conversation between the pals.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And the founders understood that.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Related Stories Also in attendance were most of the very top executives in the music industry — far too many to list, but the evening’s top honorees were Republic Records founders Monte and Avery Lipman (who have also won Variety’s Hitmakers label of the year honor six out of nine years).—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My grandfathers had both been miners whose early deaths owed much to their working lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
And the same impressive nature was true of both women's grandfathers, says Jones.—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The options are vast, ranging from Rita Ora vamping on one station and drunk gay daddies being spotlighted on another.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Dec. 2025
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Some people's mommies and daddies really, really struggle with money, and that is not something to ever make fun of somebody for.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Instead of capturing footage, creators generate shots, often multiple variations of the same scene, then select and refine the results.—
Paul Ratner,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Co-creators and hosts Woods and Nigel Poor, who taught visual arts at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, met at the prison’s media center.—
Victoria Valenzuela,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Connie Martin always knew who her ancestors were growing up.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Some of those ancestors left Africa to explore Europe.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At first, its proliferation seemed to constitute a typical case of Hollywood copycatting; Big Little Lies becomes a smash, wins eight Emmys, begets flimsy imitations that lots of people watch anyway.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But innovation begets more innovation.—
Kate Vitasek,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But reading the profile of Mohamad Eisa and Yolka Gessen left me with a kind of dread, the kind that comes when a spin-off from a hit show spawns a spin-off of its own, promising/threatening hundreds of new hours of content to keep up with.—
Jessa Crispin,
Air Mail,
24 Jan. 2026
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At the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Nadella sat for a conversation with the Forum’s interim co-chair, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, explaining that if AI growth spawns solely from investment, then that could be signs of a bubble.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathers. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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