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
Until recently, the Wong Kim Ark case was so rarely discussed publicly that even Mr. Wong’s descendants knew little about their history-making forefather.
—
Amy Qin, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
In the tradition of jam forefathers like the Dead and the Allman Brothers Band, Goose often soar during the concluding portions of their songs, ramping up the increasingly emphatic and euphoric solos.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 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
Trapping has evolved quite a bit since our forefathers first set out for beaver in the 1800s.
—Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Amy Qin, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
In the tradition of jam forefathers like the Dead and the Allman Brothers Band, Goose often soar during the concluding portions of their songs, ramping up the increasingly emphatic and euphoric solos.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 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
Trapping has evolved quite a bit since our forefathers first set out for beaver in the 1800s.
—Skye Goode, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forefather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forefather
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Her grandfather believed that was untenable, Monica Church said, and instead sought compromise with mining groups, ranchers and others.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 June 2025
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In From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ana de Armas’ Eve is seeking revenge after the death of her father, Javier (David Castañeda), who was killed in an assassination attempt by his father-in-law and her grandfather, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) a dozen years before.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 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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In the show, Youssef also voices the young Rumi Hussein, and his father Hussein — a deliriously entertaining track that Brady pushed for.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forefather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forefather. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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