1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
One of Baade’s ancestors lived through a particularly violent and gruesome experience.
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Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
No Carter family ancestors had finished high school, and the Naval Academy seemed the surest way to reach his goal of a college degree.
—Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Our modern-day house cats are descended from ancestors who lived in the desert, so enjoying the texture of sand may be a way to reconnect with their roots.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
In another ironic twist, Kayce sells it for the ridiculously low price of $1.25 an acre, the original price his ancestors paid.
—Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ancestor 
Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
No Carter family ancestors had finished high school, and the Naval Academy seemed the surest way to reach his goal of a college degree.
—Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Our modern-day house cats are descended from ancestors who lived in the desert, so enjoying the texture of sand may be a way to reconnect with their roots.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
In another ironic twist, Kayce sells it for the ridiculously low price of $1.25 an acre, the original price his ancestors paid.
—Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Inside of the garage was the 1966 Triumph Tiger Cub motorcycle that his grandfather had left him as a memento.Gavin Feek, Outside Online, 13 Jan. 2025
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In her personal life, Nona is the mother of at least one child, a son named Nolan Pentz, whose middle name is shared with his famous grandfather.Emy LaCroix, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The company's North American forerunner, Chrysler, has been left for dead repeatedly over the decades, only to emerge with hit products like minivans in the 1980s and the Dodge Ram pickup in the 1990s.Joel Mathis, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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The launch of its own line of foundation models marks Amazon’s latest push to strengthen its position against forerunners Microsoft, Google, Meta and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.AFP, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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State prosecutors at the hearing depicted Higgins, a married father of two, as having a history of road rage and of drinking up to six beers before the crash, reports the AP.Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
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Walz's daughter shared a video on TikTok the same day, including a screenshot of the original photo and speaking about her father's popcorn recipe.Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Some potential precursor KPIs include: • The partner’s cost per lead (CPL) from different sources.Henry McIntosh, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
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The petition — which itself isn’t a lawsuit but a precursor — was withdrawn this week.Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Like its predecessor, IM-2 will carry NASA CLPS payloads, which will study the possible abundance of water ice at the moon's south pole, among other tasks.Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
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The movie isn’t a patch on its predecessor, but that was never the comp.Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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While a prototype shell for the GameStation Go was briefly shown at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show a year ago, this year's CES is the official announcement party for a playable version of the GameStation Go.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2025
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Develop prototypes or small-scale versions of disruptive products to validate market potential before scaling.Ioana Dragomir, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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