forefathers

noun

plural of forefather
as in ancestors
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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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 forefathers Moritz Grossmann was one of the forefathers of German watchmaking in Glashütte. — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2026 My forefathers helped form the Soviet identity and its rituals, even before there was a country to promote them. — Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025 The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away. — Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026 The Nuggets forefathers witnessed him before the rest of Denver, as if it was meant to be that Jamal Murray would become one of them. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026 Our economic systems are not serving the people who live here, whose forefathers established this new republic, and our grandparents actualized the peak of its success. — Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026 Yet, without ceasing, another generation of Puerto Ricans pick up the mantle to chant in the streets and fight for their country, out of love for their forefathers and foremothers. — Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026 Our forefathers fought the American Revolution to get away from a tyrannical monarch and indifferent legislators, not to create our own homegrown version of it. — Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026 The Philadelphia Art Museum, the National Constitution Center, the Museum of the American Revolution, and smaller outfits like Eastern State Penitentiary and Historic Germantown will, as expected, reimagine the history of our republic in an homage to the forefathers’ ingenuity. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefathers
  1. ancestors
  2. grandfathers
  3. fathers
Noun
  • However, when her island's resources are threatened, Moana embraces her ancestors' voyaging heritage and heads out to sea to find Maui, deliver the heart of Te Fiti (which Maui stole back in the day) and save her people.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
  • The plants and animals Williford’s ancestors held relationships with became strangers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • College football is nothing without traditions (see above), and ripping Notre Dame-USC from the calendar robs the next generation of fans of both schools from enjoying the game their fathers and grandfathers remember.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • One of his great-great-grandfathers, Ned, was enslaved in Texas before being freed on Juneteenth.
    — Calista Oetama, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
Definition of grandfathers
Noun
  • In conversation with my friends, the stories had amazing similarities — fathers separated from their children under challenging circumstances.
    — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • When two young lovers find themselves up against stubborn, money-minded fathers, Scapin jumps into action with outrageous tricks, bold lies, and comic chaos at every turn.
    — Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
Definition of fathers

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forefathers
forefeel
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Cite this Entry

“Forefathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefathers. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of forefathers for Spanish Speakers

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