Founding Fathers

American  

plural noun

1. the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

2. (often lowercase) any group of founders.

   the town's founding fathers.

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Founding Fathers Cultural  

1. A general name for male American patriots during the Revolutionary War, especially the signers of the Declaration of Independence and those who drafted the Constitution. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington were all Founding Fathers.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Founding Fathers

At least once while watching “The Great American Road Trip,” I found myself wondering what the Founding Fathers would make of all this.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

A large part of the answer lies in the political realism of the Founding Fathers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

Stevens explains how winemakers in Jefferson’s beloved Virginia are filling bottles that the Founding Fathers would be proud of.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

Painter stressed that the Founding Fathers were so afraid of foreign influence — and the possibility of getting dragged into alliances and wars — that they put provisions like that clause in the Constitution.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Woodhull pointed out that the Fourteenth Amendment used the word “persons” and that the Founding Fathers had also used the word “persons” rather than distinguish between men and women when they drafted the Constitution.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling