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
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 Samaritans passed a small shrine to St. Jude — the patron saint of lost causes — on the Mexico side.
—
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Reclaiming the figure of Joan of Arc felt all the more important because the medieval warrior, a patron saint of France, has often been coopted as a figurehead by far-right groups.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 27 July 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for patron saint 
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Reclaiming the figure of Joan of Arc felt all the more important because the medieval warrior, a patron saint of France, has often been coopted as a figurehead by far-right groups.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 27 July 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for patron saint
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patron saint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share