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

Imagine if the Founding Fathers were dropped into a Pittsburgh tavern on a fall Sunday afternoon with a Steelers game on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Since the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, a two-party system emerged with the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

He advocated for the abolition of slavery, but like many of the Founding Fathers, he also benefited from the institution and even bought and sold slaves for his in-laws.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025

During the Revolutionary period, the Founding Fathers were animated by the idea that public education was an essential ingredient of America’s radical experiment in self-government.

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2025

Not surprisingly, then, preventing arbitrary searches and seizures by the police was deemed by the Founding Fathers an essential element of the U.S.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander