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 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
Trapping has evolved quite a bit since our forefathers first set out for beaver in the 1800s.
—Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
Following the footsteps of her fashion forefathers is also difficult because of high costs and red tape.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
Rise up like the American forefathers did a few hundred years ago.
—Joe Hudicka, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Trapping has evolved quite a bit since our forefathers first set out for beaver in the 1800s.
—Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
Following the footsteps of her fashion forefathers is also difficult because of high costs and red tape.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
Rise up like the American forefathers did a few hundred years ago.
—Joe Hudicka, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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The banjo itself was invented by our ancestors to bring us together as a spiritual community, stretching from those long gone, all the way to those who haven’t been born yet.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 May 2025
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While tree-dwelling sloths were out of reach to our ancestors, the large and slow ground animals would have made easy targets.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Even more breathtaking than Williams' entrance, though, was her brief scene beside the bed of Jen's dying grandfather, which would ultimately kick off the first of countless tearjerker moments peppered throughout the series.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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After his grandfather died a few years later, Pitsaev and his mom moved back to Chechnya.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 May 2025
Noun
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That said, Shane Hawkins has stepped into his father’s role in his long-running side project Chevy Metal.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2025
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Killmonger’s deeper motivation is sadder and less grandiose: His father, the brother of the late king, was murdered by Wakandan agents, forcing Killmonger to grow up alone and exiled from his ancestral homeland.—
Zak Cheney-Rice,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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