as in founder
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 father
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
Mir Hossein Mousavi, a founding father and the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic, is in his 15th year of house arrest.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Aside from the Bible, English philosopher John Locke deeply influenced our founding fathers.
—James O. Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
There’s a full-scale Magan boat built from palm rope and goat hair, and a replica of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed’s iconic Chrysler.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for founding father
NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Mir Hossein Mousavi, a founding father and the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic, is in his 15th year of house arrest.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Aside from the Bible, English philosopher John Locke deeply influenced our founding fathers.
—James O. Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
There’s a full-scale Magan boat built from palm rope and goat hair, and a replica of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed’s iconic Chrysler.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for founding father
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founding father
Noun
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Sonny Skyhawk, founder and president of American Indians in Film, one of the organizations that had joined forces with Jackson, said the campaign against the networks should have been stronger.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Nicolle Fefferman, co-founder of Parents Supporting Teachers — an online community of roughly 30,000 people — said families have been closely tracking the district’s budget discussions for the past two years but still lack clarity.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The creator economy celebrates audiences as fandoms who co-create and build communities.—
Mina Haque,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
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The program includes interviews from the show's creators, participants and judges, according to Netflix.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But while Gu hailed from a wealthy family that spent time in both the US and China, Liu’s father fled China after helping to lead the Tiananmen democracy protests, which China’s Communist Party cracked down on brutally.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Osmond, her siblings, and her father were what scientists call natural short sleepers.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Founding father.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founding%20father. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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