benefactor

noun ben·e·fac·tor \ ˈbe-nə-ˌfak-tər \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: benefactor in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of benefactor

: someone or something that provides help or an advantage : one that confers a benefit

a benefactor of humankind

; especially : a person who makes a gift or bequest

His endowments … placed him high among the benefactors of the convent.
—Jane Austen

a wealthy benefactor

See benefactor defined for English-language learners

See benefactor defined for kids

Examples of benefactor in a Sentence

With the help of a rich benefactor he set up a charity.
an anonymous benefactor gave the school a dozen new computers

Recent Examples of benefactor from the Web

Others, like President Gerald Ford's pre-emptive pardon of Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton's still unbelievable pardon of Marc Rich, the wealthy former husband of his political benefactor, rightly cause an uproar.

— z. byron wolf, CNN, "President Trump keeps pardoning his political friends," 31 May 2018
Thanks to its biggest benefactor, Orlando Ballet hopes to start construction on a game-changing new headquarters in a matter of months.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Ballet gets $5 million donation that will jump-start for construction of its headquarters," 25 May 2018
But his benefactor had a limited time to enjoy his purchase.

— berthold steinhilber, Smithsonian, "The Lost Maidens of Berlin," 24 May 2018
And collections that were opened to the public by wealthy owners as vanity projects or tax strategies are closing as their benefactors get bored, tire of losing money or die.

— steve friess, New York Times, "In the Car Museum Race, Some Drop Out," 10 May 2018
The fall in trade between the countries, from $8.5bn in 2012 to $2.2bn in 2016, caused Cuba’s first recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union, its benefactor during the cold war.

— The Economist, "Cuba bids goodbye to the revolutionary generation," 12 Apr. 2018
The strains in the relationship between Bannon and his financial benefactors had become evident late last year.

— eliza collins and fredreka schouten, USA TODAY, "Feud with Trump imperils Bannon's war on the GOP establishment," 4 Jan. 2018
The Yawkey Foundation has reportedly asked for the street signs bearing the names of its benefactors.

— adrian walker, BostonGlobe.com, "What comes next after the renaming of Yawkey Way?," 6 May 2018
Before Tuesday’s, the Art institute’s largest cash gift was announced in 2016, a $35 million donation from one of its steadiest benefactors, the late Massachusetts collector Dorothy Braude Edinburg.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Art Institute lands largest cash donation, $70 million in total," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'benefactor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A benefactor may be involved in almost any field. One may endow a scholarship fund; another may give money to expand a library; still another may leave a generous sum to a hospital in her will. The famous benefactions of John D. Rockefeller included the gifts that established the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Rockefeller University. Many benefactors have reported that giving away their money turned out to be the most rewarding thing they ever did.