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
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Recent Examples of forefather
The series, based on the popular BBC show of the same name, is considered a forefather of Saturday Night Live and other live comedy shows.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 July 2025
Decades later, Margaret’s son moved his famous forefather’s skull yet again, to the Roper family vault at St. Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2025
Howard Miller Company, located in Zeeland, Mich., was founded in 1926 by Howard C. Miller, son of contract furniture legend Herman Miller, a forefather of MillerKnoll.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 July 2025
How long must a bloodline endure the misdeeds of its forefathers?
—George Pendle, Air Mail, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 July 2025
Decades later, Margaret’s son moved his famous forefather’s skull yet again, to the Roper family vault at St. Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2025
Howard Miller Company, located in Zeeland, Mich., was founded in 1926 by Howard C. Miller, son of contract furniture legend Herman Miller, a forefather of MillerKnoll.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 July 2025
How long must a bloodline endure the misdeeds of its forefathers?
—George Pendle, Air Mail, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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Her ancestor’s analytic model discouraged self-revelation by the therapist, but Freud often meets her guests’ excavations of desire and vulnerability with her own candid recollections.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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In Rea Rasmussen's case, the process took 18 months and required building genealogical connections back to ancestors born in the 1780s.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 1943, when the Mississippi tore away from its banks and charted a fierce and muddy course across America’s central farmlands, Gerard’s grandfather, Harold Gerard, had already fled the waters once.—
Julia Rendleman,
ProPublica,
5 Sep. 2025
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The film will follow a young boy sent to spend a summer with his charismatic and wildly eccentric grandfather on a remote Welsh farm.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Chilean-American actress and singer did not reveal the age of her child or the identity of the father.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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His father taught him that a husband provides, a wife takes care of children.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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