- 1a male parent of a child or an animal; a person who is acting as the father to a child Ben is a wonderful father. You've been like a father to me. Our new boss is a father of three (= he has three children). He was a wonderful father to both his natural and adopted children. (old-fashioned) Father, I cannot lie to you. see godfather, grandfather, stepfather
- 2fathers [plural] (literary) a person's ancestors (= people who are related to you who lived in the past) the land of our fathers see forefather
- 3father (of something) the first man to introduce a new way of thinking about something or of doing something Pablo Picasso is considered the father of modern art. see founding father
- 4Father used by Christians to refer to God Father, forgive us. God the Father
- 5Father (abbreviation Fr.) the title of a priest, especially in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church Father Dominic see Holy Father Idioms
from one generation of a family to the next
used to say that a son's character or behavior is similar to that of his father
very much older than someone (especially used to suggest that a romantic relationship between the two people is not appropriate)
we believe a thing because we want it to be true
Check pronunciation: father