FATHERS Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

fathers 1 of 2

noun

plural of father

as in dads

a male human parent the special relationship that exists between fathers and sons

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fathers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of father

as in sires

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

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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 fathers

Noun

Those girls in the hothouses maintained by fathers and uncles certainly would not spare a single thought for Percherette. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 Nearly every player on the team is a dad, with seemingly a few players becoming first-time fathers each of the past few seasons. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 The cast included Brian Dennehy and Paul Sorvino as the feuding fathers and John Leguizamo as Tybalt — a role Christian Bale also auditioned for — before heading to Mexico for a production almost as chaotic as the play. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 Other networks have been established for working fathers, LGBTQ+ employees, and early-career staff, which were established to give younger employees a greater say in their career development and opportunities to communicate with leadership. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 Scores of new fathers kissed their babies for the first time, couples cried and embraced and hundreds of parents let out a collective sigh of relief as the crew disembarked on the north end of the Coronado peninsula. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 The Lincoln crew includes nearly 60 fathers, who were meeting for the first time babies born during the deployment. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 The couple exchanged vows over the phone from inside Isfahan prison, joined by their fathers. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 To date, it is performed at birthday parties up and down the continent as the ultimate tribute for fathers. — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathers

Noun

Mitt reminds me of these famous sports dads — Earl Woods, Richard Williams, Marv Marinovich — who put a golf club or tennis racket or football in their kids’ cribs.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Xu Fu and Ma Junsheng also play surrogate dads to Seif, whose increasingly violent eruptions threaten to change the course of his life more than once.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of dads

Noun

Ithaca Holdings co-founders Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman will become co-CEOs.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
So the city loses out not only on new companies that would otherwise set up shop here but also on a group of founders who might have channeled their profits into the next generation of startups.

— Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of founders

Noun

His grandfathers are former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and Tom Curtis, an All-America defensive back for the Wolverines, and his brother is Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Nearly a century after his great-grandfathers played college football, USC freshman defensive lineman Luke Wafle is emerging as a generational talent.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of grandfathers

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
Vegas is full of bachelor parties, drag revues, Elvis impersonators, wedding chapels, showgirls, leather daddies, casino grandmas, and enough sequins to blind Liberace.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 June 2026

Definition of daddies

Noun

An American who knows nothing about real football comes to the place where it was invented and attempts to tell the creators of the sport how to play.

— Jay Martel, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
This latest collaboration builds on Moynat’s push to work with artists and pop-culture creators.

— Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of creators

Noun

The changes would have affected the environments in which life developed and evolved, from the age of the dinosaurs through to some of our oldest primate ancestors.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
In his view, Flagg Mountain’s fire-scarred stumps corroborate what his community already knew—that their ancestors used fire for centuries—and reinforce their sense of responsibility to care for the land.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026