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founding father
noun
1
: an originator of an institution or movement : founder
2
often capitalized both Fs
: a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.
specifically
: a member of the American Constitutional Convention of 1787
Synonyms
Examples of founding father in a Sentence
a tribute to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the other Founding Fathers
Theodor Herzl is often credited as the founding father of modern Zionism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Others, such as the Revolutionary War-era cameo of one of the country’s founding fathers, are little more than walking, talking punch lines.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
The Lee brothers are the sons of Lee Kuan Yew, modern Singapore’s founding father.
—Sylvia Hui and Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Two founding fathers of machine learning – John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton – won the physics prize.
—Daniel Niemann, Jill Lawless, and Mike Corder, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2024
At the time of the referendum, the SNP was led by Alex Salmond, who died last week, and who was the founding father and driving force of the independence movement (and a subscriber to this note).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1892, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near founding father
Cite this Entry
“Founding father.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/founding%20father. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
founding father
noun
found·ing father
ˈfau̇n-diŋ-
1
: one that starts or helps to start an institution or a movement
2
often capitalized
: a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.
Legal Definition
founding father
noun
found·ing fa·ther
often capitalized both Fs
: a leading figure in the founding of the U.S.
specifically
: a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787
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