From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfather/mother/authority figurefather/mother/authority figureMPsomeone who is considered to be like a father etc, or to represent authority, because of their character or behaviour → figure
Examples from the Corpus
father/mother/authority figure• And he registers genuine hurt at the fact that Buzzy regards Buck as more of a father figure than himself.• He spoke seldom, but he was never impatient with her, always kind, a companionable father figure.• As we get older, we may be abused by other authority figures - teachers, doctors, bosses.• One wonders what is the unspoken view of the other authority figures involved in setting this up?• A young girl needs a strong mother figure.• Disrespect the authority figure out there on the field and then wonder why the kids do it in their classrooms.• It would seem that we are far more likely to obey unquestioningly when the authority figure is actually present.• Eventually Daley made the remarkable transition from political boss to father figure. 