noun
Meaning 1
One who protects or supports; a defender or advocate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
patron
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈpeɪ.tɹən/
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rhymes with -eɪtɹən
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: P EY1 T R AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
One who protects or supports; a defender or advocate.
A guardian or intercessor; synonym of patron saint.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- St. Joseph is the patron of many different places.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
An influential, wealthy person who supported an artist, craftsman, a scholar or a noble.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A customer, as of a certain store or restaurant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- This car park is for patrons only.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A protector of a dependent, especially a master who had freed a slave but still retained some paternal rights.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Roman, historical
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
One who has gift and disposition of a benefice.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
Topics: ecclesiastical, lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A padrone.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A property owner, a landlord, a master. (Compare patroon.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To be a patron of; to patronize; to favour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To treat as a patron.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
a regular customer
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: frequenter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: customer, client
Narrower terms: operagoer, regular, habitue, fixture
noun
Meaning 12
someone who supports or champions something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sponsor, supporter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: benefactor, helper
Narrower terms: angel, backer, godfather, godparent, guarantor, surety, warrantor, warranter, patroness, patronne, tower of strength, pillar of strength
noun
Meaning 13
the proprietor of an inn
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: owner, proprietor
Narrower terms: host, innkeeper, boniface
History
Etymology
From Middle English patroun, patrone, from Old French patron, from Latin patrōnus, derived from pater (“father”). Doublet of padrone, Patronus, patroon, and pattern.
Across languages
Translations
76 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: راعي; حامي; وصي; سيد; و — one who protects or supports
- Arabic: حريف; زبون (harif, zaboun) — one who protects or supports
- Azerbaijani: himayəçi — one who protects or supports
- Azerbaijani: himayədar — one who protects or supports
- Azerbaijani: havadar — one who protects or supports
- Azerbaijani: hami — one who protects or supports
- Bulgarian: защитник (zaštitnik) — one who protects or supports
- Czech: příznivec — one who protects or supports
- Dutch: beschermheilige — one who protects or supports
- Dutch: schutspatroon — one who protects or supports
- Esperanto: patrono — one who protects or supports
- Finnish: tukija — one who protects or supports
- Finnish: suojelija — one who protects or supports
- Finnish: suojeluspyhimys — one who protects or supports
- Galician: patrón — one who protects or supports
- German: Schirmherr — one who protects or supports
- German: Patron — one who protects or supports
- Greek: προστάτης (prostátis) — one who protects or supports
- Ancient Greek: προστάτης (prostátēs) — one who protects or supports
- Ancient Greek: πρόδικος (pródikos) — one who protects or supports
- Hungarian: pártfogó — one who protects or supports
- Hungarian: patrónus — one who protects or supports
- Hungarian: védnök — one who protects or supports
- Icelandic: velunnari — one who protects or supports
- Icelandic: stuðningsmaður — one who protects or supports
- Icelandic: verndari — one who protects or supports
- Icelandic: bakhjarl — one who protects or supports
- Italian: patrono — one who protects or supports
- Japanese: 守護者 (shugosha) — one who protects or supports
- Kazakh: жебеуші (jebeuşı) — one who protects or supports
- Kazakh: желеп-жебеуші (jelep-jebeuşı) — one who protects or supports
- Macedonian: ага (aga) — one who protects or supports
- Māori: kairangi — one who protects or supports
- Middle English: patroun — one who protects or supports
- Persian: حامی (hâmi) — one who protects or supports
- Russian: засту́пник (zastúpnik) — one who protects or supports
- Russian: засту́пница (zastúpnica) — one who protects or supports
- Spanish: patrón — one who protects or supports
- Tocharian B: tanāpate — one who protects or supports
- Ottoman Turkish: صاحب (sâhib) — one who protects or supports
- Vilamovian: patrön — one who protects or supports
- Azerbaijani: hami — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Azerbaijani: mesenat — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Azerbaijani: maarifpərvər — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Bulgarian: меценат (mecenat) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Bulgarian: покровител (pokrovitel) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Czech: mecenáš — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Danish: mæcen — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Dutch: mecenas — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Finnish: tukija — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Finnish: mesenaatti — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- French: mécène — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Galician: mecenas — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- German: Mäzen — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Greek: πάτρονας (pátronas) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Hungarian: patrónus — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Hungarian: mecénás — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Italian: mecenate — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Japanese: 恩人 (onjin) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Japanese: パトロン (patoron) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Macedonian: ага (aga) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Manx: ard-charrey — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Portuguese: mecenas — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Russian: покрови́тель (pokrovítelʹ) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Russian: покрови́тельница (pokrovítelʹnica) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Spanish: mecenas — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Spanish: patrocinador — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Spanish: auspiciador — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Swedish: mecenat — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Turkish: mesen — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Ottoman Turkish: صاحب (sâhib) — wealthy individual who supports an artist etc.
- Bulgarian: патрон (patron) — Roman law: protector of a dependent
- Danish: patron — Roman law: protector of a dependent
- Finnish: suojelija — Roman law: protector of a dependent
- Finnish: isäntä — property owner, landlord, master
- Greek: ιδιοκτήτης (idioktítis) — property owner, landlord, master
Real reading context