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
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
The ladle in a kitchen drawer leads her to the Big Dipper and Joseph’s pit and the wells dug by the patriarchs in the book of Genesis.
—Ilana Kurshan, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
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
The ladle in a kitchen drawer leads her to the Big Dipper and Joseph’s pit and the wells dug by the patriarchs in the book of Genesis.
—Ilana Kurshan, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarchs
Noun
-
And again the morgues and graveyards of Iran received fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.—
Azar Nafisi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
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,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My grandfathers had both been miners whose early deaths owed much to their working lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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And the same impressive nature was true of both women's grandfathers, says Jones.—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Moms and dads are always looking for different ways to keep their kids occupied.—
Mekialaya White,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Now that Davidson has joined the new dads club, parenthood has been a topic of conversation between the pals.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarchs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarchs. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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