Great White Father
Americannoun
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the president of the U.S.
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any man who holds a position of great authority.
Etymology
Origin of Great White Father
An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; after the epithet supposedly used for the U.S. president by American Indians in the 19th century
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.
Maraniss states that he was a victim of the harmful myth “that the Great White Father knows best.”
From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2022
His successor is Louis Bruce, part Mohawk and part Oglala Sioux, who seems just as frustrated as his people in dealing with the Great White Father.
From Time Magazine Archive
Generally he showed his wisdom by keeping on good terms with the Great White Father.
From Time Magazine Archive
Says one member of the cast: "Hammerstein is the Great White Father, but Rodgers is Daddy."
From Time Magazine Archive
The Sioux never had had any dispute with the Great White Mother; she seemed better than the Great White Father.
From Boys' Book of Indian Warriors and Heroic Indian Women by Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
