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
Trapping has evolved quite a bit since our forefathers first set out for beaver in the 1800s.
—
Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
The boy’s sensitivities — and love of reading — mark him out for a different path than the field work of his forefathers.
—Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
Yet another way to think of him is as a forefather of the light and space movement of the 1960s and ’70s.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Our noble forefathers consented to hang anyone who messed with the currency.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
The boy’s sensitivities — and love of reading — mark him out for a different path than the field work of his forefathers.
—Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
Yet another way to think of him is as a forefather of the light and space movement of the 1960s and ’70s.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Our noble forefathers consented to hang anyone who messed with the currency.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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Until recently, the ancestors of insects were thought to be more millipede-like and evolved once invertebrates began to live on land.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
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During the Pleistocene, our ancestors lived through several different ice ages.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Robyn, 11, and Chuck, 8, had just been picked up early from Camp Timber Lake by their uncle Jim Peel and grandfather Bryan McArthur.—
Tony Holt,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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The emotions were unavoidable on Saturday for Ian Happ, who got a standing ovation for his 1,000th game as a Cub, as well as Matthew Boyd, who got choked up after winning his first start at Wrigley Field in a Cubs uniform, thinking of his late grandfather, a Cubs fan who grew up in Chicago.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His grandparents on both sides of the family live in Milwaukee, as do his father’s three brothers and sister and his mother’s sister.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The bride's father also set the standard in his first wedding speech by playing a PowerPoint with more than 200 photos of Chernoff and Werner over the years.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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