father
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
fathers
plural
fathers
Britannica Dictionary definition of FATHER
[count]
1
:
a male parent
—
see also birth father, grandfather, stepfather
-
He became a father when he was 30.
-
He's the father of three small children.
-
He has been like a father to me.
-
the foal's father
-
He's a single father. [=a father who does not have a wife or partner]
◊ The expression like father, like son means that a son is like his father in character, behavior, etc.
-
“He's very stubborn.” “Well, like father, like son.” [=his father is also stubborn]
2
:
a man who is thought of as being like a father
-
He was a father to me after my own father died.
3
4
formal
:
a person who was in someone's family in past times
:
ancestor, forefather
— usually plural
-
She inherited the land on which her fathers toiled.
-
the faith of his fathers
5
:
a man who invents or begins something
— usually singular
—
see also founding father
-
the father of modern science
-
George Washington is the father of our country.
6
old-fashioned
:
an older man who is one of the leaders of a city, town, etc.
— usually plural
-
Will the city fathers agree to it?
7
:
a priest especially in the Roman Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church
— used especially as a title or as a form of address
—
see also holy father
-
Father Fitzgerald
-
Good morning, Father.
-
a young man who didn't yet seem ready for fatherhood
-
a fatherless child
2
father
/ˈfɑːðɚ/
verb
fathers;
fathered;
fathering
2
father
/ˈfɑːðɚ/
verb
fathers;
fathered;
fathering
Britannica Dictionary definition of FATHER
[+ object]
1
:
to become the father of (a child)
:
to make a woman pregnant so that she gives birth to (a child)
-
He fathered three children.
2
of a man
:
to invent, create, or produce (something)
-
He was praised for fathering a plan to improve the city's schools.
