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
Like his spiritual forefather Michael Bay, Snyder is a visionary action filmmaker who conceives blockbusters with an utterly original aesthetic and sensibility.
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 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
Instead, Zinke told Outside that his vision for public land management comes from the forefathers of the U.S. National Parks.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 19 May 2025
Transportation secretaries normally have little to do with tariff policy, but Duffy has presented himself as one of the intellectual forefathers of Trump’s current trade agenda.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 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
Instead, Zinke told Outside that his vision for public land management comes from the forefathers of the U.S. National Parks.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 19 May 2025
Transportation secretaries normally have little to do with tariff policy, but Duffy has presented himself as one of the intellectual forefathers of Trump’s current trade agenda.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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Our harsh winters and gorgeous summers reminded our ancestors of home.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
3 Aug. 2025
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The small, rugged truck crossed over into civilian use and is the ancestor of the off-road vehicles and SUVs that patrol suburbs and ferry kids to the frontlines of soccer games.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Photos from Kaela Leone's TikTok video of her sister and grandfather meeting for her wedding.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
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The fiddle resting on his shoulder belonged to his great, great grandfather and dates to around 1900.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As many fans were happy to see that the couple might be back together, her ex-boyfriend and father of her children, Tracy T, didn’t seem as elated.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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During the meeting, the group read from a page and a half of cases of immigrants detained this year, including a father suffering from leukemia in metro Detroit with three children who was arrested five days ago, Kovari said.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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