father

[ fah-ther ]

noun

1. a man who begets offspring; a male parent.
2. Often Father. one’s own male parent:

   When we were kids, Father read to us regularly.

   My father is visiting us next week.

3. a father-in-law, stepfather, foster father, male adoptive parent, or male guardian.
4. 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?

5. any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.
6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. an early form; forerunner or prototype:

   The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.

10. one of the most well-known or prominent men in a city, town, etc.:

    There was a scandal involving several of the city fathers.

11. Chiefly British. the oldest living or serving member of a society, profession, etc. Compare dean ( def 3 ).
12. a title for something personified as an older or elderly man:

    Father Time.

13. a term of familiar address for an old or elderly man.
14. Often the Father. Theology.
    1. the Supreme Being; God.
    2. Christianity. the first person of the Trinity.
15. 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.
16. Ecclesiastical.
    1. Usually Father. a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
    2. Often Father. a person bearing this title:

       He is a father in the Catholic church.

17. fathers, Roman History. conscript fathers ( def ).

adjective

1. 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)

1. to beget; be the father of:

   He fathered seven children over three marriages.

2. to be the male creator, founder, or author of; originate.
3. 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.

4. Archaic. to acknowledge oneself the father or originator of:

   He would only father the novel if it became popular.

5. Archaic. to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
6. Archaic. to charge someone with the begetting of:

   Do not try to father the boy on me.

verb (used without object)

1. 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

/ ˈfɑːðə /

noun

1. God, esp when considered as the first person of the Christian Trinity
2. Also calledChurch Father any of the writers on Christian doctrine of the pre-Scholastic period
3. a title used for Christian priests

father

²

/ ˈfɑːðə /

noun

1. a male parent
2. a person who founds a line or family; forefather
3. any male acting in a paternal capacity paternal
4. often capital a respectful term of address for an old man
5. a male who originates something

   the father of modern psychology

6. a leader of an association, council, etc; elder

   a city father

7. the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etc

   father of the bar

8. often plural a senator or patrician in ancient Rome
9. the father of informal.
   a very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kind

   the father of a whipping

verb

1. to procreate or generate (offspring); beget
2. to create, found, originate, etc
3. to act as a father to
4. to acknowledge oneself as father or originator of
5. foll byon or upon to impose or place without a just reason

Derived Forms

• ˈfathering, noun

Other Words From

• fa·ther·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of father¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with Dutch vader, German Vater, Old Norse fathir; akin to Armenian hayr, Greek patḗr, Irish athair, Latin pater, Persian pedar, Sanskrit pitar-

Word History and Origins

Origin of father¹

Old English fæder ; related to Old Norse fathir , Old Frisian feder , Old High German fater , Latin pater , Greek patēr , Sanskrit pitr

Idioms and Phrases

see like father, like son .

Example Sentences

His son David told the BBC his father had given up cars for good.

From BBC

Her father, John, told an earlier session of the inquiry she was “left to die” because of her disability.

From BBC

The fifth-grader batted it over to his father, who pounced on it, stood up and handed it back to his son.

From Los Angeles Times

In April 2021, the girl was discharged from hospital into the care of her father and grandparents.

From BBC

The father said he had little to do with the girls’ upbringing and was not kept informed about their behaviour or attendance at school.

From BBC

Related Words

• ancestor
• dad
• parent
• predecessor