Thesaurus results for FATHER FIGURE

father figure

noun

Definition of father figure

as in dad

an older man who acts in a paternal role to younger people The coach was a stern, wise father figure to his players.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of father figure When Urich was young, his father suffered a disabling stroke; Netanyahu became a father figure to him. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 Other movies would have made a religious ideal of the suffering mother, attempted to proselytize its audiences, or wallowed in the melodramatic urge for a father figure. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Sep. 2026 Part of the team’s entire 46-year history, Unzué is the 71-year-old father figure that no one wants to let go of. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 But that sympathy can’t quite make up for the galling fact of Nelson’s sons, now teenagers stuck in limbo as a father figure stubbornly insists on courting further ruin. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for father figure

Recent Examples of Synonyms for father figure

Noun

Sisters Barani and Malu were born to first-time mom Ndari and dad Rakan at the Fort Worth Zoo on July 1 and weigh about 18 to 20 pounds each, or about the same as a large pumpkin, 13 weeks later.

— Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Now dad and mom, who have been transporting them around for years in club softball, will have to begin looking for the cheapest flights to Tallahassee.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of dad

Noun

Ellison clinched the deal by sweetening the offer price and bringing his father, Larry Ellison, in to personally guarantee funding.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Gyllenhaal’s father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a director and her mother, Naomi Foner, a screenwriter.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

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fathered (on)

father figure

father figures

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“Father figure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/father%20figure. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of father figure

noun

Example Sentences

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