ancestor
noun
an·ces·tor
ˈan-ˌse-stər 
also -sə-
1
a
: one from whom a person is descended and who is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent
Her ancestors came to America in the 1880s.
2
: forerunner, prototype
an exhibit of the ancestors of the modern computer
3
: a progenitor (see progenitor sense 1b) of a more recent or existing species or group
the ancestor of the modern horse
Examples of ancestor in a Sentence
My ancestors came to America during the 1800s.
Her ancestors were great sea captains.
an ancient animal that was the ancestor of the modern horse
The museum included an exhibit showing ancestors of the modern computer.
several languages that are derived from a common ancestor
Latin is the ancestor of Italian and French.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gendron said his ancestors were among the first outsiders to settle the island in the 1700s, when three brothers, fur traders all, left Canada and followed the Mississippi south.
—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
The first Strong ancestor emigrated from England to New England in 1635, according to The Washington Post.
—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2026
California is returning a stretch of rugged Mendocino County coast to the Indigenous nations whose ancestors once stewarded its shores.
—
Alex Wigglesworth Los Angeles Times,
Arkansas Online,
5 July 2026
Hingham is the birthplace of Major General Benjamin Lincoln — George Washington’s second-in-command, who famously accepted the British surrender at Yorktown — and home to the direct ancestors of Abraham Lincoln.
—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
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Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
The first Strong ancestor emigrated from England to New England in 1635, according to The Washington Post.
—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2026
California is returning a stretch of rugged Mendocino County coast to the Indigenous nations whose ancestors once stewarded its shores.
—
Alex Wigglesworth Los Angeles Times,
Arkansas Online,
5 July 2026
Hingham is the birthplace of Major General Benjamin Lincoln — George Washington’s second-in-command, who famously accepted the British surrender at Yorktown — and home to the direct ancestors of Abraham Lincoln.
—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancestor. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ancestor
noun
an·ces·tor
ˈan-ˌses-tər
1
: one from whom an individual, group, or species is descended
2
: something from which something else has developed : forerunner
Etymology
Middle English ancestre "ancestor," from early French ancestre (same meaning), from Latin antecessor "one that goes before," derived from earlier antecedere "to go before," from ante- "before" and cedere "to go, yield" — related to concede, predecessor
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