godfather

1 of 2

noun

god·​fa·​ther ˈgäd-ˌfä-t͟hər 

 also  ˈgȯd-

1

: a man who sponsors a person at baptism

2

: one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: such as

a

: one that founds, supports, or inspires

made him the godfather of a whole generation of rebels

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

b

: the leader of an organized crime syndicate

godfather

2 of 2

verb

godfathered; godfathering; godfathers

transitive verb

: to act as godfather to

Examples of godfather in a Sentence

Noun

Her uncle is her godfather.

Many people regard him as the godfather of rock and roll.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Advertisement Oh, and the latest one’s middle name is Tommy to honor his godfather, Tommy Lasorda. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

Robert Cialdini is a social psychologist often referred to as the godfather of influence. —Dr. Angélica S. Gutiérrez, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Verb

Murdoch’s political ally, godfather to one of Rupert’s young daughters with Deng – have to do with this? —Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 July 2022

Even the beginning is a little iffy: Where does godfather Drosselmeyer come from? —John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1651, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

godfather

noun

god·​fa·​ther

ˈgäd-ˌfät͟h-ər,

 also  ˈgȯd-

: a male sponsor at baptism