Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

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.

Humans share a surprisingly strange ancestor with all other vertebrates.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

Humans, chimps and bonobos share a common ancestor going back 7 million years or so.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

The hedge-born man conceived in a hookup under the hawthorn bushes in 17th-century Britain was the direct linguistic ancestor of today’s naked short-sellers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Both 72, they call the event Los Tradicionales — “the traditional ones” — because their goal is to help preserve Cuba’s rich dance heritage, from rumba to timba to casino, an ancestor of salsa.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

My ancestor Billington’s great-grandchildren may not have realized it, but the impenetrable sweep of dark forest admired by Thoreau was something that Billington never saw.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann




Vocabulary lists containing ancestor