forefathers

NOUN

ancestor

Synonyms

STRONG

antecedent ascendant patriarch precursor predecessor primogenitor progenitor

WEAK

forebearer procreator

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’m not being gay enough to honor my forefathers, foremothers and forepeople.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026

The home, she said, is more than 200 years old and built by her Spanish forefathers, with a tiled courtyard in the center and Moorish accents on the masonry.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Although their forefathers were seized from West and Central Africa centuries ago, the bond between African-Americans and their ancestral home has been a lasting one.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

“What is he?” murmurs one grey shadow of my forefathers to the other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

By about 300,000 years ago, Homo erectus, Neanderthals and the forefathers of Homo sapiens were using fire on a daily basis.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari