patron saint

noun

1

: a saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated

2

: an original leader or prime exemplar

Synonyms

• beau ideal
• classic
• eidolon
• exemplar
• idea
• ideal
• model
• nonesuch
• nonpareil
• paragon

Examples of patron saint in a Sentence

St. David is the patron saint of Wales.

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers.

The success of her books has made her the patron saint of a new literary movement.

Recent Examples on the Web

The prawns pay homage to an unlikely patron saint: the fried shrimp at Red Lobster. —Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 4 Sep. 2024

Along with thousands of concerts, the venue also hosted parties as well as dance nights, karaoke and book events for the likes of John Lydon and patron saint Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024

Pascual gets its name from San Pasqual, the patron saint of cooks and kitchens. —Taryn White, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

Anthony Bourdain feels, in some ways, like the patron saint of this novel. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

patron saint

noun

: a saint to whom a person, society, church, or place is dedicated