father

1 of 2

noun

fa·​ther ˈfä-t͟hər 

plural fathers

1

a(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

3

a

: 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

5

a

: 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

6

: a priest of the regular clergy

broadly : priest

—used especially as a title

7

: one of the leading men (as of a city)

—usually used in plural

a council of the city fathers

fatherhood

ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

fatherless

ˈfä-t͟hər-ləs 

adjective

fatherlike

ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌlīk 

adjective or adverb

father

2 of 2

verb

fathered; fathering ˈfä-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈfät͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: beget

b

: to be the founder, producer, or author of

fathered the improvement plan

c

: to accept responsibility for

2

a

: 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

3

: foist, impose

intransitive verb

: to care for or look after someone as a father might

Synonyms

Noun

• dad
• daddy
• old man
• pa
• papa
• poppa
• pater [chiefly British]
• pop
• sire

Verb

• beget
• get
• sire

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

Vasquez grew up in the Philippines and credits his father for instilling in him a love of singing. —Daniela Avila, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024

James and Elisabeth Murdoch are both known to have less-conservative political views than their father or brother, potentially complicating efforts to ensure that Fox News remains conservative. —CBS News, 10 Dec. 2024

Verb

Jeffs fathered more than 60 children from 78 spouses. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

During his lifetime, Ringo fathered five male pups and one female pup, Leia, who was born in 2022 and still lives at the Milwaukee zoo. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English fader, from Old English fæder; akin to Old High German fater father, Latin pater, Greek patēr

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing father

• birth father
• church father
• city father
• father figure
• father image
• father-in-law
• foster mother/father
• founding father
• single father

Kids Definition

father

1 of 2 noun

fa·​ther ˈfät͟h-ər 

ˈfȧth-

1

a

: a male parent

b

capitalized : god sense 1

c

capitalized : the first person of the Christian Trinity

2

: ancestor sense 1

3

: a man who cares for another as a father might

4

: a man who invents or begins something

the father of modern science

5

: priest

—used especially as a title

fatherhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

fatherless

-ləs 

adjective

father

2 of 2 verb

fathered; fathering ˈfät͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

ˈfȧt͟h-

1

a

: beget sense 1

b

: to be the founder, producer, or author of

2

: to treat or care for someone as a father