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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
The types of joints we (and most vertebrates) share most likely originated from the same common ancestor.
—
Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
The analysis also suggests that the Fijian iguanas diverged from their American ancestors between 34 million and 30 million years ago, settling around the same time as the volcanic formation of the Fijian archipelago, Scarpetta said.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Flashback: Ohlone ancestors long inhabited the Presidio and surrounding region before the site became a military outpost during the Mexican-American war.
—Nadia Lopez, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The auntie’s going to always be there for her niece as an ancestor.
—Fox Maxy, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
The analysis also suggests that the Fijian iguanas diverged from their American ancestors between 34 million and 30 million years ago, settling around the same time as the volcanic formation of the Fijian archipelago, Scarpetta said.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Flashback: Ohlone ancestors long inhabited the Presidio and surrounding region before the site became a military outpost during the Mexican-American war.
—Nadia Lopez, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The auntie’s going to always be there for her niece as an ancestor.
—Fox Maxy, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Robyn, 11, and Chuck, 8, had just been picked up early from Camp Timber Lake by their uncle Jim Peel and grandfather Bryan McArthur.—
Tony Holt,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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Founded by her grandfather 75 years ago, Klem's sells a wide range of products including hardware, pet food and clothes.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The most obvious forerunner is Video Quartet, a 2002 work in which four screens show four videos simultaneously, each constructed from myriad film clips, all synced in a way that interlaces their soundtracks into a musical composition.—
Jonathon Keats,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Solution #4: Charles Schwab Schwab, a forerunner in discount brokerage, has a bank subsidiary that can do what banks usually do.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Paisley’s father got a chance to see Pride again in 2009, when President Obama hosted a country music night at the East Room in the White House, featuring the trailblazing singer and his son, alongside Alison Krauss.—
Stephen L. Betts,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2025
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His grandparents on both sides of the family live in Milwaukee, as do his father’s three brothers and sister and his mother’s sister.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In addition, neighborhoods would no longer be required — as a precursor to meters — to test out two-hour and three-hour parking zones enforced by chalking tires instead of meters.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
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Directed by Arthur Penn, who brought a bold visual style, frank sexuality and graphic, balletic violence to a Hollywood dominated by optimistic pictures, this countercultural romance served as a precursor to the generational tension and mistrust in authority that was quietly pervading the country.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Whereas Main Street’s predecessor as recently as October of 2024 had planned to void all of its legacy MLB deals but for one, the company entered the new season with nine clubs under contract.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Larry, who died in January, was a 31-year veteran of the New York office of FTA and its predecessor, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), who began as a political appointee in 1981 under the Reagan administration and stayed, switching over to being in the career civil service.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As improbable as that sounds for an upright, short-wheelbase 4×4, the EV Bronco prototype is about much more than just straight-line speed and all-electric range.—
Michael Van Runkle,
Robb Report,
2 Apr. 2025
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His most egregious act may have been sharing a video that purported to show a fully functional prototype, whereas the truck actually was rolling down a small hill.—
Dan Primack,
Axios,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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