as in fathers
a man who is the head of a family
Investors worried that the aging patriarch was soon to be replaced atop the family business by his less reliable oldest son.
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Recent Examples of patriarchs
What father would ever allow such devastation, assuring fellow patriarchs that their lives without sons would be ruined forever?
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Perhaps, for a man who has always lived in the shadow of distant patriarchs, the only thing worse than perpetually wondering what his father really thought would be finding out for sure.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
After that session, the three patriarchs began reaching out to other heavyweight clans.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2025
In addition to Leo and Bartholomew, the participants of the commemorative service included priests, patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Nov. 2025
Forty years after opening, Union Square Cafe is one of the prosperous patriarchs of the New York restaurant world.
—Christine Muhlke, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
Popes and Orthodox patriarchs honor him, and Pärt’s music has received the highest levels of recognition, including Grammy Awards.
—Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Leo drew attention to a joint statement by the Latin and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, who announced that the priests and nuns in the two Christian churches in Gaza City would stay put, despite Israeli evacuation orders ahead of the Gaza City offensive.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Perhaps, for a man who has always lived in the shadow of distant patriarchs, the only thing worse than perpetually wondering what his father really thought would be finding out for sure.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
After that session, the three patriarchs began reaching out to other heavyweight clans.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2025
In addition to Leo and Bartholomew, the participants of the commemorative service included priests, patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Nov. 2025
Forty years after opening, Union Square Cafe is one of the prosperous patriarchs of the New York restaurant world.
—Christine Muhlke, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
Popes and Orthodox patriarchs honor him, and Pärt’s music has received the highest levels of recognition, including Grammy Awards.
—Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Leo drew attention to a joint statement by the Latin and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, who announced that the priests and nuns in the two Christian churches in Gaza City would stay put, despite Israeli evacuation orders ahead of the Gaza City offensive.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarchs
Noun
-
Our Revolutionary fathers were influenced by the Bible, particularly as Scripture was interpreted through British common law.—
James O. Cunningham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
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Tisch and John Mara have functioned as the Giants franchise’s controlling owners for their respective families since the passing of their fathers, Bob Tisch and Wellington Mara, in 2005.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Robert Pelot, the owner of Pelot’s Rexall Pharmacy, said it’s been in his family since one of his great-grandfathers moved to the Bradenton area from Indiana in the late 1800s.—
Amaia Gavica,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
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Is this the noble cause that our grandfathers would have shed their blood for 85 years ago?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The dads and sons hustled to a nearby dirt patch.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Since becoming a parent, Jodi Lillis thinks a lot about other moms and dads without accommodating jobs or the resources to pay for daily child care and summer camps.—
Shay Castle,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarchs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarchs. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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