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father
[fah-ther]
noun
a man who begets offspring; a male parent.
Often Father one’s own male parent.
When we were kids, Father read to us regularly.
My father is visiting us next week.
a father-in-law, stepfather, foster father, male adoptive parent, or male guardian.
Usually Father a term of address for a male parent or a man having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a male parent.
How are you, Father?
any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.
a man providing care or exercising influence or authority like that of a male parent.
The late professor was a father to all his students.
the qualities characteristic of a father, such as paternal affection, protectiveness, responsibility, etc..
He had been quite a rake, but his newborn daughter quickly brought out the father in him.
a man who has originated or established something.
Freud is often called the father of modern psychology.
The founding fathers of America took care to separate church and state.
an early form; forerunner or prototype.
The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.
one of the most well-known or prominent men in a city, town, etc..
There was a scandal involving several of the city fathers.
Chiefly British.the oldest living or serving member of a society, profession, etc.
a title for something personified as an older or elderly man.
Father Time.
a term of familiar address for an old or elderly man.
Theology.Often the Father
the Supreme Being; God.
Christianity.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.
Usually Father a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
Often Father a person bearing this title.
He is a father in the Catholic church.
Roman History.fathers, conscript fathers.
adjective
being a male parent.
The father penguin rests the egg on his feet and covers it with a fold of warm skin.
verb (used with object)
to beget; be the father of.
He fathered seven children over three marriages.
to be the male creator, founder, or author of; originate.
to care for or protect like a father; act paternally toward.
He’s always fathering me and checking the oil in my car.
After Dad died, my uncle fathered my brother and me.
Archaic.to acknowledge oneself the father or originator of.
He would only father the novel if it became popular.
Archaic.to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
Archaic.to charge someone with the begetting of.
Do not try to father the boy on me.
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.
father
1/ ˈɑːðə /
noun
a male parent
a person who founds a line or family; forefather
any male acting in a paternal capacity
(often capital) a respectful term of address for an old man
a male who originates something
the father of modern psychology
a leader of an association, council, etc; elder
a city father
the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etc
father of the bar
(often plural) a senator or patrician in ancient Rome
informala very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kind
the father of a whipping
verb
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
to impose or place without a just reason
Father
2/ ˈɑːðə /
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
Other Word Forms
- fatherlike adjective
- ˈڲٳԲ noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of father1
Word History and Origins
Origin of father1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
His father Steve, 58, won 10 trophies with Bath in the 1990s, including five league titles, before joining Gloucester in 1998.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided the Ambiance Apparel garment factory June 6, the couple’s 15- and 19-year-old children had texted their father in a panic.
“I can say we both missed out,” he said of his father.
I thought about a Guatemalan, a father of three young American-born children, who has a thriving business hauling junk.
Rules in the UK allow new fathers and second parents in full-time employment to take up to two weeks off work.
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