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
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.
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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
Building back Luke Bolander is a senior and one of the founding fathers of KU’s new Delta Upsilon chapter, which was reinstated in 2023 after a 2018 scandal where pledges were urinated on, spat on and hit repeatedly for coming forward with hazing reports, The Kansan wrote.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
Jobs was one of the three founding fathers of Pixar Animation Studios, after having purchased the group from LucasFilm in 1986.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Building back Luke Bolander is a senior and one of the founding fathers of KU’s new Delta Upsilon chapter, which was reinstated in 2023 after a 2018 scandal where pledges were urinated on, spat on and hit repeatedly for coming forward with hazing reports, The Kansan wrote.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
Jobs was one of the three founding fathers of Pixar Animation Studios, after having purchased the group from LucasFilm in 1986.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for founding fathers
Noun
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The Mines Venture Fund chose Infinite Outdoors as one of its first investments because its founders had a solid foundation and plan for the app’s future, said Zack Bennett, the director of the school’s Beck Venture Center.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
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Read the Room is an independent creative agency created by five female founders with backgrounds in global advertising agencies across Beirut, Dubai, New York, Montreal, and Rio de Janeiro.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Larsson echoes this sentiment, adding that for many—both creators and wearers of dentalium pieces—the shells reflect a continuing of tradition, and a form of cultural preservation.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
13 Oct. 2025
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This comes with the series creators and its fictional world.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her Founders were fathers, and mothers, too.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
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Ninety-five percent of the women studied were white women living in the United States, and researchers did not factor in any information provided by the fathers.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Past research in the Arctic has identified tens of thousands of methane seeps -- many of them linked to climate change impacts and the degradation of cryospheric caps, such as glacial ice, permafrost and gas hydrates, the authors said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
11 Oct. 2025
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The authors also noted that larger studies are needed to confirm the results.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Founding fathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/founding%20fathers. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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