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ancestor

[an-ses-ter, -suh-ster] / ˈæn sɛs tər, -sə stər /


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.

I teach my students about Didion’s ancestor, Nancy Hardin Cornwall, who trekked westward with the Donner-Reed party in 1846.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Congress created the Tenth Circuit in 1929, and it added the ancestor of the D.C.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

By comparing many species, the researchers traced this unusual walking style back to a shared ancestor that lived roughly 200 million years ago.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

That work suggested the ancestor of crown snakes, meaning the group that gave rise to living snakes, may have been adapted for burrowing while also behaving opportunistically.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

By contrast, no wild maize ancestor has ever been found, despite decades of search.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann




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