father figure

An older man, often one in a position of power or influence, who elicits the emotions usually reserved for a father.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fa′ther fig`ure

a man who has or seems to have the qualities of an ideal male parent, inspiring in others the feelings and behavior typical of a child toward its father.

Also called fa′ther im`age.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

father figure - a man who takes over all the functions of the real father

father surrogate

foster father, foster-father - a man who is a foster parent

adult male, man - an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman); "there were two women and six men on the bus"

stepfather - the husband of your mother by a subsequent marriage

Translations

figura paterna padre

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

They noted that not only a biological father could help shape a child's future, but that a father figure was equally important as a role model for the child.

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In 1925, Pakistan cricket's father figure, Abdul HafeezKardar, was born.

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Retired schoolmaster and novelist Peter Farqhuar, who has been described as a 'father figure' to boys at the top independent secondary, died in 2015 at the age of 69.

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George Weahhas has described Arsenal managerArsene Wengeras a "father figure" and attributed his success in Europe to the Frenchman.

Legendary Liberian striker George Weah thanks God and "father figure" Arsene Wenger for his remarkable career; Wenger was Weah's manager at Monaco, where he spent four successful years before joining Paris Saint-Germain and then AC Milan

Aaron is an unlikely father figure to Liv But he also finds himself an unlikely father figure to Liv.

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A father figure to his nephews and nieces and loved by people around him, Mr Rouben will be greatly missed, said one of his nephews.

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5 5MASTER SPLINTER HE'S not a Turtle, but wise Told rat Splinter, above, is the foursome's adopted father figure who instructs them in the ways of the Ninja.

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But what will happen when he starts to develop real human emotions for the girls who see Gru as a father figure? ?????

FILMCHOICE