godfather
noun
god·fa·ther
| \ ˈgäd-ˌfä-t͟hər also ˈgȯd-
\
\
Definition of godfather
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
verb
godfathered;
godfathering;
godfathers
Definition of godfather (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
With all due respect to anyone associated with the Raiders, the godfather of football in Oakland is John Beam, the head football coach and athletic director at Laney. — Jon Becker, The Mercury News, "Oakland’s Laney College, legendary coach chosen for ‘Last Chance U’ football series," 8 Aug. 2019 Giants great Willie Mays, Bonds' godfather, called for the slugger to reach the Hall of Fame. — Janie Mccauley, Fox News, "Home run king Barry Bonds has his No. 25 retired by Giants," 12 Aug. 2018 And Hall of Famer Steve Nash, who works with the Warriors as a consultant, is the godfather of No. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "It’s an identity crisis for Warriors, Rockets in the West," 22 June 2019 Only now, under Nicky, the nation’s first black godfather dictated to them. — Webster Stone, WSJ, "The Quiet Death of a Notorious Harlem Drug Kingpin," 21 June 2019 Godin, who was playing for Uruguay on Friday, is also the godfather of Griezmann's daughter. — Stephen Wade, chicagotribune.com, "France defeat Uruguay to reach World Cup semifinals," 6 July 2018 In fact Griezmann and Godin are so tight, the Uruguayan captain is the godfather of Griezmann’s daughter. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "French star Antoine Griezmann has his heart on both sides of quarterfinal match-up," 4 July 2018 During their time together at Atlético, the defender even became the godfather of the Frenchman's daughter. — SI.com, "France Forward Admits Mixed Feelings Ahead of Facing His 'Second Country' in World Cup," 4 July 2018 Prince Harry probably won’t be a godparent either, based on the fact that he wasn’t named godfather of his other nephew and niece, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. — refinery29.com, "Odds Are Pretty High Meghan Markle Won’t Get This Title," 23 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The new generation of progressives in the city, godfathered by Garcia, and represented in the March elections by Alma Anaya, Aaron Ortiz, and Beatriz Frausto, is a force to be reckoned with within the party. — Jacqueline Serrato, chicagotribune.com, "Garcia ally wants to move the Democratic party in a new direction," 25 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'godfather.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for godfather
godfather
noun
English Language Learners Definition of godfather
: a man who is a godparent
: a man who invents or begins something
: the leader of a group of criminals who belong to a secret criminal organization (such as the Mafia)
See the full definition for godfather in the English Language Learners Dictionary
godfather
noun
god·fa·ther
| \ ˈgäd-ˌfä-t͟hər
\
\
Kids Definition of godfather
: a boy or man who is a sponsor for someone at baptism
Keep scrolling for more