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
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 founding fathers
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
Our founding fathers enshrined freedom of speech in the First Amendment, not the second or the 10th, but the first.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
This is the oldest bar in the city and was once the watering hole for the founding fathers, including George Washington.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Mandato cited writings of several founding fathers, including John Adams, Daniel Webster and John Witherspoon, who argued the country's constitutional system cannot endure without a moral and religious population, and Christian principals are conducive to good citizenship.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Sep. 2025
That’s the way the founding fathers intended it.
—Mark Waller, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
That’s essentially what happened in the American Revolution, most of the founding fathers were of the wealthiest echelons of the colonies.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
In fact, Leticia was established by the Peruvian military in the 1800s and takes its name from the girlfriend of one of its founding fathers.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
More than a month after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s music has largely slipped away from the Billboard charts following the headline-grabbing news that one of rock’s founding fathers had passed away.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Our founding fathers enshrined freedom of speech in the First Amendment, not the second or the 10th, but the first.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
This is the oldest bar in the city and was once the watering hole for the founding fathers, including George Washington.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Mandato cited writings of several founding fathers, including John Adams, Daniel Webster and John Witherspoon, who argued the country's constitutional system cannot endure without a moral and religious population, and Christian principals are conducive to good citizenship.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Sep. 2025
That’s the way the founding fathers intended it.
—Mark Waller, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
That’s essentially what happened in the American Revolution, most of the founding fathers were of the wealthiest echelons of the colonies.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
In fact, Leticia was established by the Peruvian military in the 1800s and takes its name from the girlfriend of one of its founding fathers.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
More than a month after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s music has largely slipped away from the Billboard charts following the headline-grabbing news that one of rock’s founding fathers had passed away.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founding fathers
Noun
-
Matthew and Theresa Lyson, husband and wife and co-founders of the nonprofit Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary in Washtenaw County's Salem Township, have also each been charged with six misdemeanor counts related to operating as a rehabilitator of migratory waterfowl without proper licensure.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Several women founders have privately supported the idea.—
Lila MacLellan,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The evening drew Hollywood’s established and emerging talent alongside Los Angeles‘ top content creators, including Tracee Ellis Ross, Lakeith Stanfield, Adrien Brody, Maude Apatow, Madelaine Petsch, Ava Phillippe, Alexandra Shipp, Jurnee Smollett, Ashley Benson, Emma Brooks and Aimee Song.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Working double duty as stars and creators, Hadel voices Charlie, a bro-ish yellow blob creature, and Cusack voices Pim, a well-mannered chap who looks like a cross between a school boy and a grape.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The new season, which marks the first under iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network, will go beyond the original premise of interviewing famous fathers.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
-
What YouTube and these social platforms have done is allow people to create entire media groups speaking to very particular communities—to South Asian women or, say, gay fathers over forty.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The study authors looked at 13 samples and found no traces of typhus, but their work does not discredit the findings of the 2006 study, the researchers noted.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
As this heatwave persisted, the authors tracked the health of 52,356 wild and restored Acropora coral colonies across the 350-mile length of Florida's coral reef.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Founding fathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founding%20fathers. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share