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
According to legend, the Sisters of Loretto prayed a nine-day novena to St. Joseph, patron saint of Carpenters, for help building a staircase to the choir loft.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
The mid-century theorist of decolonization has long been the patron saint of political violence.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
On Friday, the Prince of Wales, 41, visited Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint's School in Wrexham on the feast day for the country’s patron saint.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024
Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia sings about love, loss and everyday struggles.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Does the patron saint of political violence have anything to teach us today?
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
For hundreds of years, residents of Valencia, Spain, have celebrated the arrival of spring and paid tribute to San Jose, the patron saint of the carpenters’ guild, by building and then ceremonially burning huge monuments made of wood, cardboard, and paper.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland who lived in the fifth century and was born in Roman Britain.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Inclusion is at the heart of founder Jenny Nguyen’s project, and she’s become somewhat of a patron saint in the women’s sports bar space (and the leader of a popular group chat for current and aspiring women’s sports bar owners).
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
The mid-century theorist of decolonization has long been the patron saint of political violence.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
On Friday, the Prince of Wales, 41, visited Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint's School in Wrexham on the feast day for the country’s patron saint.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024
Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia sings about love, loss and everyday struggles.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Does the patron saint of political violence have anything to teach us today?
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
For hundreds of years, residents of Valencia, Spain, have celebrated the arrival of spring and paid tribute to San Jose, the patron saint of the carpenters’ guild, by building and then ceremonially burning huge monuments made of wood, cardboard, and paper.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland who lived in the fifth century and was born in Roman Britain.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Inclusion is at the heart of founder Jenny Nguyen’s project, and she’s become somewhat of a patron saint in the women’s sports bar space (and the leader of a popular group chat for current and aspiring women’s sports bar owners).
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
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 25 Apr. 2024.
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