father
noun
fa·ther
| \ ˈfä-t͟hər
\
\
plural fathers
Definition of father
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1)
: a male parent
(2)
: a man who has begotten a child
also
: a male animal who has sired an offspring
b capitalized
(1)
: god sense 1
(2)
: the first person of the Trinity (see Trinity sense 1)
2
: forefather
the founding fathers
3a
: one related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child
b
: an old man
—used as a respectful form of address
4
often capitalized
: a pre-Scholastic (see scholastic sense 1a) Christian writer accepted by the church as an authoritative witness to its teaching and practice
— called also church father
5a
: one that originates or institutes
the father of modern science
b
: source
… the sun, the father of warmth and light.— Lena M. Whitney
c
: prototype
the father of all libraries in the country
7
: one of the leading men (as of a city)
—usually used in plural a council of the city fathers
father
verb
fathered;
fathering\ ˈfät͟h-riŋ
, ˈfä-t͟hə- \
, ˈfä-t͟hə- \
Definition of father (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: beget
b
: to be the founder, producer, or author of
fathered the improvement plan
c
: to accept responsibility for
2a
: to fix the paternity or origin of
b
: to place responsibility for the origin or cause of
collected gossip and fathered it on responsible men— J. A. Williamson
: to care for or look after someone as a father might
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Other Words from father
Noun
fatherhood
\ ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌhu̇d
\
noun
\
noun
fatherless
\ ˈfä-t͟hər-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
fatherlike
\ ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌlīk
\
adjective or adverb
\
adjective or adverb
Synonyms for father
Synonyms: Noun
dad, daddy, old man, pa, papa (also poppa), pater [chiefly British], pop, sire
Synonyms: Verb
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Examples of father in a Sentence
Noun
He became a father when he was 30. He's the father of three small children. He has been like a father to me. He was a father to me after my own father died.Verb
He was praised for fathering a plan to improve the city's schools. Paul Revere somehow found room in his small house for the large family he had fathered.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The father-son duo did get a charming portrait out of it, though. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Princess Charlotte Will Be Joining Prince George's School Next Week," 29 Aug. 2019 The outlet also adds that Grace's pregnancy, and the question of who is the father of her child, only adds to the confusion. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "This ‘Blue Bloods’ Actress Is Joining the Cast of ‘Manifest'," 28 Aug. 2019 Bili’s father has not seen his brother, who lives in Japan, in 25 years. — Zoë Hu, The New Republic, "Crazy Sad Asians," 27 Aug. 2019 Tom’s father Joe, a Wyoming grocer for decades, opened the LaRosa’s pizzeria and the Westendorf family has owned and managed businesses there for nearly 100 years. — Jennie Key, Cincinnati.com, "New look for an old friend as community's LaRosa's gets a makeover," 23 Aug. 2019 Jef Goodnight, Mason’s father, is one of the coaches for the Kentucky team. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Little Leaguers Pay Tribute to Kentucky Player Who Died at Age 10 Before Facing off in World Series," 20 Aug. 2019 Munchak’s father had heard Fangio was from Dunmore and, before a game, made Mike go say hello. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "Vic Fangio Is Bringing His Hometown Vibes to Denver," 19 Aug. 2019 On its website, the company says it was founded in 1979 by Victor H. Rubino, the current owner’s father. — Stephen Singer, courant.com, "Farmington nutritional supplement company Ultimate Nutrition shuts down, employees terminated upon arriving for work Monday," 19 Aug. 2019 Rudolph, who played the protagonist’s father in the German Netflix hit Dark, has arguably the most difficult role here. — Boyd Van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Voluntary Year' ('Das freiwillige Jahr'): Film Review | Locarno 2019," 15 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Aaron—best known for his fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton— fathered John Pierre when his first wife, Theodosia, was dying of cancer. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "155 Years After His Death, Abolitionist John Pierre Burr’s Epitaph Updated to Include His Father, Aaron Burr," 24 Aug. 2019 Despite his apparent lack of interest in Wyatt's birth, perhaps Gase is better at fathering children than actually coaching. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Adam Gase Left His Wife Immediately After She Gave Birth to Meet With Peyton Manning," 7 Aug. 2019 On Scorpion, Drake confirmed the rumor and rapped several discomfiting lines about having fathered a child with the former adult film actor Sophie Brussaux. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Drake’s Troubling Reunion With Chris Brown," 30 July 2019 Only veteran players who have been god-fathered in under former NFL rules can wear them, such as Cardinals outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. — Bob Mcmanaman, azcentral, "Kyler Murray daily report: Is Arizona Cardinals QB too patient?," 30 July 2019 So even beyond the ability to father a child, there are strong associations between poor semen quality and poor health. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Sperm counts are falling. This isn’t the reproductive apocalypse — yet.," 30 May 2019 In January, Autumn gave birth to Kiden, her first calf to be fathered by Miles, a 10-year-old male giraffe who still lives at Greenville Zoo. — USA TODAY, "Retired monkeys, freeze-dried blood, ‘Hidden Figures Way’: News from around our 50 states," 14 June 2019 While pondering how Perry could’ve become the man Celeste knew, Season 2 also addresses a detail revealed at the end of the prior season: Perry raped Jane during a one-night stand years ago and subsequently fathered her son, Ziggy (Iain Armitage). — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Big Little Lies Ponders What Makes a Man," 10 June 2019 Jimmy taught, fathered and raised his sons with a thundering velvet hand. —