Meaning & use
father
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Meanings
nouncountable
A man in relation to his child or children; a male parent.
Grammar: Countable noun: a father, two fathers, my father. Used with possessive adjectives: my father, his father.
Patterns
- someone's father
- a father of two
- father and son
My father taught me how to ride a bike.
He became a father at the age of thirty.
Her father works as a doctor in the city hospital.
nouncountablefigurative
A founder or originator of something, especially an idea, movement, or invention.
Grammar: Often used in the pattern 'the father of something'.
Patterns
- the father of something
He is often called the father of modern computing.
She was a founding father of the women's rights movement in her country.
verbtransitiveformalliterary
To become the male parent of a child.
Grammar: Takes an object: father a child. Formal or literary in this sense.
Patterns
- father a child
He fathered three children during his marriage.
The king was said to have fathered many illegitimate children.
nouncountablereligion
A title used when speaking to or about a priest, especially in some Christian churches.
Grammar: Used as a title before a name or as a form of address: Father Brown, Yes, Father.
Patterns
- Father + name
- Yes, Father
Father John will lead the service on Sunday.
I spoke to Father about my worries.
Word forms
| plural | fathers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | fathers |
| past tense | fathered |
| past participle | fathered |
| -ing form | fathering |
Common combinations
- father figure
- He became a father figure to the young boys in the neighborhood.
- father of two
- John is a proud father of two daughters.
- like father, like son
- He loves sports just like his dad — like father, like son.
- founding father
- George Washington is considered a founding father of the United States.
- father's Day
- We bought Dad a gift for Father's Day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dad
- Informal and affectionate; used especially by children or when speaking about one's own father.
- daddy
- Childish or affectionate; used mainly by young children.
- parent
- Gender-neutral; can refer to a mother or father.
Opposites
Word family
- fatherhood noun
- The state or experience of being a father.
- fatherly adjective
- Showing the kind, protective qualities of a father.
- fatherless adjective
- Having no father, usually because he has died or left.
- fatherland noun
- A person's native country, especially in a patriotic or literary context.
Commonly confused: father or farther?
father vs farther
Farther means 'to a greater distance' and is used for physical distance; father is a male parent. They sound similar but have different meanings.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'father' correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
The verb 'father' means to become a male parent. In the past tense, it becomes 'fathered'. Option B is correct. Option A uses the base form without tense, option C uses the -ing form without an auxiliary, and option D uses the third person singular with a past time expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “father”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.