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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hailey Bieber, the patron saint of nails, has finally given us the opportunity to copy her manicure without working harder than usual. Arancha Gamo, Glamour, 2 Feb. 2025 The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Oklahoma can open St. Isidore: an online Roman Catholic charter school named after the patron saint of the internet. Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 31 Jan. 2025 The Virgin Mary was the patron saint of Siena, memorialized by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in his masterpiece fresco in the city. Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024 Reagan’s June 2004 state funeral, presided over by George W. Bush in the midst of his re-election campaign, felt less like a farewell than a feast day for the modern Republican Party’s patron saint. Jonathan Darman, airmail.news, 14 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for patron saint 

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of patron saint was in 1703

Dictionary Entries Near patron saint

Cite this Entry

“Patron saint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patron%20saint. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

patron saint

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

More from Merriam-Webster on patron saint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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