as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
our forefathers bought this farm, and our family has worked it for three generations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 forefather
Rise up like the American forefathers did a few hundred years ago.
—
Joe Hudicka, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
The boy’s sensitivities — and love of reading — mark him out for a different path than the field work of his forefathers.
—Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
The British Last Week Tonight host, who previously served as a writer and correspondent on The Daily Show for seven years, returned during Monday's episode to jokingly celebrate the country becoming just like its forefather.
—EW.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Our noble forefathers consented to hang anyone who messed with the currency.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Joe Hudicka, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
The boy’s sensitivities — and love of reading — mark him out for a different path than the field work of his forefathers.
—Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
The British Last Week Tonight host, who previously served as a writer and correspondent on The Daily Show for seven years, returned during Monday's episode to jokingly celebrate the country becoming just like its forefather.
—EW.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Our noble forefathers consented to hang anyone who messed with the currency.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
-
Porter County Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs noted his ancestors were among the first white settlers in the county in 1835, at a settlement a few hundred feet from the site.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
18 May 2025
-
Moringa oleifera is native to Indian subcontinent, particularly the Himalayan foothills, while another species, Moringa stenopetala, grows in the Horn of Africa: southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and even Somalia, where Elba’s ancestors are from.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
Even more breathtaking than Williams' entrance, though, was her brief scene beside the bed of Jen's dying grandfather, which would ultimately kick off the first of countless tearjerker moments peppered throughout the series.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
After his grandfather died a few years later, Pitsaev and his mom moved back to Chechnya.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
The suspect’s father told us his son had a childhood obsession with pyrotechnics In an interview with my colleague Jenny Jarvie, the suspect’s estranged father, Richard Bartkus, said the boy, then 9, set his family’s Yucca Valley home on fire.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2025
-
In the early 1980s, before Will Harlan was born, his father, H. William (Bill) Harlan, was hiking in the mountains above Napa Valley and stumbled upon a hidden valley.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share