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
Ann Marie Luft, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Softness and even open expression of feelings between fathers and sons are not part of the male Circassian factory model.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
His office has since argued that surrogacy violates the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on slavery, according to a lawyer representing the fathers who commissioned the surrogate.
—Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Their fathers were following along, both golf professionals, both of whom taught their sons the game.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Both siblings have spoken about growing up without their fathers in their lives.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Meanwhile, their fathers hang back, observing, cracking wise about their teens' antics.
—Natalie Escobar, NPR, 12 May 2026
The Pelago Café’s story began in the region of Emilia‑Romagna, where both Amidei and Hitchmough’s fathers were born — both families emigrating to Highwood, Illinois in the late 1960s, where their daughters Ruthie and Mada were raised.
—Gina Grillo, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
There’s mothers and daughters, there’s fathers and daughters, there’s fathers and sons, there’s siblings, there’s best friends, there’s coworkers.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Noun
In November 2025, the fathers told the court about their child’s birth and a day later, Uthmeier, the AG, began pushing his way into this case.
—Ann Marie Luft, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Softness and even open expression of feelings between fathers and sons are not part of the male Circassian factory model.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
His office has since argued that surrogacy violates the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on slavery, according to a lawyer representing the fathers who commissioned the surrogate.
—Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Their fathers were following along, both golf professionals, both of whom taught their sons the game.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Both siblings have spoken about growing up without their fathers in their lives.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Meanwhile, their fathers hang back, observing, cracking wise about their teens' antics.
—Natalie Escobar, NPR, 12 May 2026
The Pelago Café’s story began in the region of Emilia‑Romagna, where both Amidei and Hitchmough’s fathers were born — both families emigrating to Highwood, Illinois in the late 1960s, where their daughters Ruthie and Mada were raised.
—Gina Grillo, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
There’s mothers and daughters, there’s fathers and daughters, there’s fathers and sons, there’s siblings, there’s best friends, there’s coworkers.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathers
Noun
-
The dads have learned this the hard way.—
Natalie Escobar,
NPR,
12 May 2026
-
This Daisy ran away from her two dads, acquiring a rap sheet for petty theft along the way.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Though OpenAI was making progress on research and development, Musk had demanded that Altman and other co-founders, including Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, make a list of employees and their key contributions, and fire everyone who didn't immediately make the grade, filings show.—
Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Most founders built their identities around judgment, the ability to read a situation, weigh tradeoffs, and act.—
Rhett Power,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
And if the cabinet grandfathers only the HS classes of 2024 and 2025 while applying the new rule to 2026 graduates, an entire cohort gets jammed onto the same clock as players one and two years older—a cliff disguised as a transition.—
Daryl G. Jones,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 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
-
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
-
Mamdani had spent the preceding weeks observing Ramadan alongside members of the city’s Muslim communities, breaking fast in iftar gatherings with union members or content creators.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
YouTube is expected to spotlight many of its biggest creators during its upfront advertising presentation in New York City this week.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
This is among the most universal pieces of advice from our ancestors.—
Jonathan Haidt,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
One by one, group members tearfully thanked their ancestors and poured white rum on the beach.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
And rhetoric, it could be said, begets more rhetoric.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Learning velocity is the only litmus test dimension where improvement begets more improvement.—
Zixuan Zhang,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The coupling that El Niño spawns between the atmosphere and the warmer water along the Equator tends to create sinking winds over the Atlantic that disrupt cloud formations that could otherwise become hurricanes.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Hating cops also spawns ridiculous protests, like the ones that called for police to be defunded.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathers. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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