# father

/ˈfɑðɝ/ (US) · /fˈɑːðɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/father
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. male parent

noun · CEFR A1

a man who has a child.

For teachers: a male parent, whether through biological siring, adoption, or legal guardianship.

- My father taught me how to ride a bike when I was six years old.
- After the ceremony, her father walked her down the aisle, visibly moved by the significance of the occasion.

### 2. religious title

noun · CEFR B1 · Formal

a title used for a priest in some Christian churches.

For teachers: a formal title and form of address for a priest, particularly within the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican traditions.

- We asked Father O'Malley to say a prayer for the sick.
- The parishioners waited outside the chapel to speak with Father Thomas after the morning service had concluded.

### 3. pioneer or founder

noun · CEFR B2

a man who starts or creates something important, like a new idea or a country.

For teachers: a man who originates or is a pioneering figure in a specific field, movement, or nation.

- He is often called the father of modern medicine because of his discoveries.
- The university dedicated a statue to the founding father of the physics department, acknowledging his decades of groundbreaking research.

### 4. computing/data

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

an older version of a computer file that was used to make the current one.

For teachers: the version of a file or data set that immediately precedes the current version in a generational backup system.

- If the current file is corrupted, we can recover the data from the father file.
- The system administrator implemented a grandfather-father-son rotation scheme to ensure multiple levels of data redundancy.

### 5. to sire a child

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal · Literary

to become the biological father of a child.

For teachers: to procreate as the male parent; to sire offspring.

- The king hoped to father a son who would take over the throne.
- Historical records suggest that the nobleman fathered several children with his first wife before her untimely death.

### 6. to create or start

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to be the person who starts an idea or a plan.

For teachers: to originate or give rise to an idea, movement, or project.

- His early research fathered a whole new way of thinking about biology.
- The philosopher's radical essays fathered a political movement that would eventually reshape the entire region.

## Examples

- My father works as a doctor in the city.
- He became a father for the first time last year and enjoys spending weekends with his daughter.
- The traditions were passed down from father to son over several generations, ensuring the family's history remained intact despite their frequent migrations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.