as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
our forefathers bought this farm, and our family has worked it for three generations
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Recent Examples of forefather
The triumphs of his forefathers, the great king Akbar and Shah Jahan, have been written out of history textbooks, Rezavi said, or not taught in schools.
—
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Boland is one of them, as well as a forefather of the Red Dirt genre.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
Named after their great-grandfather, three brothers live with their families in the village, carrying on the traditional pottery work of their forefathers.
—Sonya Rehman, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The statistics were grim—twenty-first-century males were, relative to their forefathers and their female contemporaries, much more likely to fall behind in school, drop out of college, languish in the workforce, or die by overdose or suicide.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
Boland is one of them, as well as a forefather of the Red Dirt genre.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
Named after their great-grandfather, three brothers live with their families in the village, carrying on the traditional pottery work of their forefathers.
—Sonya Rehman, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The statistics were grim—twenty-first-century males were, relative to their forefathers and their female contemporaries, much more likely to fall behind in school, drop out of college, languish in the workforce, or die by overdose or suicide.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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The gift of 'The Mahabharata' that my ancestors gave me is truly the gift that keeps giving.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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The same ancestor who founded this homestead left his own family behind in Georgia; that cold resolve is Hailey’s inheritance too.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Visiting a seafood market is an essential part of any trip to Japan, and Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market is the grandfather of them all.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
12 July 2025
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But off to the side, Ricardo Mojica, a tall, silver-haired grandfather, quietly tried to talk to agents to find out what was happening with his son, who worked inside.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Noun
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His father, Scotty Robinson, also had a career in country music for a while, so clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.—
Sid Evans,
Southern Living,
8 July 2025
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Turns out, Yun had fallen in love with Marcello’s father Alfredo (Luca Zingaretti) — a relationship that doesn’t seem to scandalize anyone, not even Marcello’s mom Lorella (Sabrina Ferilli).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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