father

[ fah-th er ]

/ ˈfɑ ðər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR father ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a male parent.

a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.

any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.

a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor.

a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the founding fathers.

a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.

one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.: a scandal involving several of the city fathers.

Chiefly British. the oldest member of a society, profession, etc.Compare dean¹(def 3).

a priest.

(initial capital letter) Theology. the Supreme Being and Creator; God.

a title of respect for an elderly man.

the Father, Theology. the first person of the Trinity.

Also called church father. Church History. any of the chief early Christian writers, whose works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the early ages.

Ecclesiastical.

(often initial capital letter) a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
a person bearing this title.

fathers, Roman History. conscript fathers.

verb (used with object)

to beget.

to be the creator, founder, or author of; originate.

to act as a father toward.

to acknowledge oneself the father of.

to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.

to charge with the begetting of.

verb (used without object)

to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: Somehow he was able to write a book while actively fathering.

Nearby words

fath, fath., fathead, fathead minnow, fatheaded, father, father christmas, father confessor, father figure, father lasher, father of his country

Origin of father

before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with German Vater, Latin pater, Greek patḗr, Sanskrit pitar, Old Irish athir, Armenian hayr

Related forms

fa·ther·like, adjective

Can be confused

farther father further (see usage note at farther)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for father

What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When the father arrived at the hospital, he was told that Andrew Dossi was in surgery, but the wounds were not life-threatening.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“I heard them say, ‘He was shot twice,’” the father, Joseph Dossi, remembers.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What does your father say about putting Isaac in the asylum?
Mortmain|Arthur Cheny Train
"I thank you," said Johanna, and for an instant her pale face glowed with the same fire which had distinguished her father.
A Noble Name|Claire Von Glmer
But as his father was speaking again the student turned his serious face toward the pulpit.
Tess of the Storm Country|Grace Miller White
That father too embraced him and asked him in the presence of all,—“Do you remember both your lives, my son?”
The Kath Sarit Sgara|Somadeva Bhatta
My father turned away and looked at me with all the old weariness in his face, but with little agitation.
Mr. Marx's Secret|E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for father (1 of 2)

father

/ (ˈfɑːðə) /

noun

a male parent

a person who founds a line or family; forefather

any male acting in a paternal capacityRelated adjective: paternal

(often capital) a respectful term of address for an old man

a male who originates somethingthe father of modern psychology

a leader of an association, council, etc; eldera city father

British the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etcfather of the bar

(often plural) a senator or patrician in ancient Rome

the father of informal a very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kindthe father of a whipping

verb (tr)

to procreate or generate (offspring); beget

to create, found, originate, etc

to act as a father to

to acknowledge oneself as father or originator of

(foll by on or upon) to impose or place without a just reason

Derived Forms

fathering, noun

Word 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

Idioms and Phrases with father

father

see like father, like son.