as in founders
a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor
Theodor Herzl is often credited as the founding father of modern Zionism
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Recent Examples of founding fathers
Biery compared the administration's actions to those of King George III cited by the founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence.
—
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Atop Connecticut’s state Capitol building, Captain John Mason, depicted in his 1637 attack on the Pequots in Mystic, is enshrined among the state’s founding fathers.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
And our founding fathers discussed this extensively in the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers, from Hamilton to Jefferson, the whole spectrum.
—NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Aside from the Bible, English philosopher John Locke deeply influenced our founding fathers.
—James O. Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Hindi cinema once reflected secular, democratic values championed by India’s founding fathers.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
Many of the nation's founding fathers were Protestant and held Judeo-Christian beliefs and values.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 12 Nov. 2025
For starters, the Giants and Steelers are close NFL cousins with founding fathers who were among the league’s first guardians.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
No, January 6 was a day our founding fathers would have been standing shoulder to shoulder with us.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Atop Connecticut’s state Capitol building, Captain John Mason, depicted in his 1637 attack on the Pequots in Mystic, is enshrined among the state’s founding fathers.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
And our founding fathers discussed this extensively in the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers, from Hamilton to Jefferson, the whole spectrum.
—NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Aside from the Bible, English philosopher John Locke deeply influenced our founding fathers.
—James O. Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Hindi cinema once reflected secular, democratic values championed by India’s founding fathers.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
Many of the nation's founding fathers were Protestant and held Judeo-Christian beliefs and values.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 12 Nov. 2025
For starters, the Giants and Steelers are close NFL cousins with founding fathers who were among the league’s first guardians.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
No, January 6 was a day our founding fathers would have been standing shoulder to shoulder with us.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founding fathers
Noun
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And First Round Capital uses its First Round Review to provide founders with all-in-one distribution engines and tactical marketing playbooks, as well as engineering, management, and design skills.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
14 Feb. 2026
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the founders of Romanticism, was a great inspiration for the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The app supports premium subscriptions, allowing creators and publishers to provide subscribers with benefits like exclusive content and ad-free listening.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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Substack is an online platform that allows writers and other creators to reach subscribers directly through ad-free blog posts and emails.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And again the morgues and graveyards of Iran received fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.—
Azar Nafisi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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Tisch and John Mara have functioned as the Giants franchise’s controlling owners for their respective families since the passing of their fathers, Bob Tisch and Wellington Mara, in 2005.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The authors of the October paper stress that coaches and players need more education about the possible hazards for carriers of the sick-cell trait.—
Roxanne Khamsi,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
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Later, the authors of the current study decided to systematically search archival infrared data for signs of direct collapse.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Founding fathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founding%20fathers. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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