patriarch

Definition of patriarchnext
as in grandfather
a man who is the head of a family Investors worried that the aging patriarch was soon to be replaced atop the family business by his less reliable oldest son.

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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 patriarch Kazan said there wasn’t enough space to give the Irish American family — composed of patriarch and matriarch Samuel and Liza, plus their nine children, the screen time their story merited. — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Dolan family patriarch Charles founded Cablevision, the cable TV company, which acquired 50% of the Knicks, Rangers and related businesses in 1994 and the rest of the MSG properties three years later. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026 The 2017 and 2011 squads both finished as state runner-ups under the program’s patriarch, head coach Kirk Martin, who returned to lead the Mavericks in 2023 following a five-year hiatus at other coaching stops. — Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Sep. 2026 Domingo played the tyrannical show-biz patriarch Joe Jackson in the movie. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
  • His grandparents owned restaurants and his grandfather was one of the first butchers to cut steaks for Morton Steakhouse.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The designer’s grandfather Mario and his brother Martino opened their luggage and luxury objects store under the Fratelli Prada banner 113 years ago in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Remember, parents with kids this age are also the ones that are still living with their mom and dad, have to have coloring books and fidget toys at work to settle their nerves and focus and flat out refuse to grow up.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Every single person, apart from me and him and the guy who plays his dad, are all real people.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • My 80-year-old mother and 87-year-old father were singing Hindu prayers to celebrate one of the most important holidays of our faith.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Lozano Garita is the father of her two youngest children, relatives said.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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