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father
[ fah-ther ]
/ ˈfɑ ðər /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
Definition of father
noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: He fathers like he’s been doing it for years, though his kid is only three months old.
VIDEO FOR FATHER
A Mom's Handy Word List For Questions That Won't Quit
To save your sanity while expanding your kids' vocabulary, here's a handy word list for questions that just won't quit.
QUIZ
TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS
Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”
Question 1 of 7
What does "dignity" mean?
Origin of father
First recorded before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with German Vater, Latin pater, Greek patḗr, Sanskrit pitar-, Old Irish athir, Armenian hayr; all from Proto-Indo-European pətḗr. As in mother, th was substituted for d, possibly on the model of brother.
OTHER WORDS FROM father
fa·ther·like, adjectiveWords nearby father
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use father in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for father (1 of 2)
father
/ (ˈfɑːðə) /
noun
verb (tr)
Derived forms of father
fathering, nounWord Origin for father
Old English fæder; related to Old Norse fathir, Old Frisian feder, Old High German fater, Latin pater, Greek patēr, Sanskrit pitr
British Dictionary definitions for father (2 of 2)
Father
/ (ˈfɑːðə) /
noun
God, esp when considered as the first person of the Christian Trinity
Also called: Church Father any of the writers on Christian doctrine of the pre-Scholastic period
a title used for Christian priests
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with father
father
see like father, like son.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.