Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

foremother

American  
[fawr-muhth-er, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌmʌð ər, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

  1. a female ancestor.


foremother British  
/ ˈfɔːˌmʌðə /

noun

  1. a female ancestor

"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

Etymology

Origin of foremother

1575–85; fore- + mother 1 on the model of forefather

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Like its foremother, “Twilight,” “The In Between” depicts a pedantic girl in a supernatural world who’s willing to die for her boyfriend.

From New York Times Feb. 11, 2022

Even today, many in the country of 12 million know little about their foremother.

From Washington Post Aug. 26, 2021

In recent years, Chisholm has received some belated recognition for her role in establishing the groundwork for women’s fight against sexual harassment, and she has been cited as a foremother of the modern #MeToo movement.

From Slate May 6, 2020

“She’s a pioneering performance artist and poet, a mystic, a feminist foremother for a whole generation of women artists and writers.”

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 16, 2020

Some forefather of yours may have heard the song of the Over-Lord, perhaps from the lips of some foremother of mine.

From Stella Fregelius by Haggard, Henry Rider

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training