benefactor

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

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

Although local residents made significant contributions, Denison’s main benefactor was Carnegie, who provided $12,500 for the building.

— robert mitchell, Washington Post, "Andrew Carnegie built 1,700 public libraries. But some towns refused the steel baron’s money.," 9 Apr. 2018
The list, CBS News' Jeff Pegues reports, also includes Oleg Deripaska — former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's longtime benefactor.

— CBS News, "Trump administration targets Putin's inner circle in new sweeping sanctions," 6 Apr. 2018
The gift came from the Skaggs family, longtime Scripps Research benefactors.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps Research ranked in top 10 for chemistry and biology," 30 Mar. 2018
The home, completed in 1880, belonged to Elisha M. Ellsworth, grandson of Elisha Ellsworth, one of Hudson's earliest settlers, and cousin to James Ellsworth, the benefactor who gave the town its now famous Clock Tower.

— joey morona, cleveland.com, "Ellsworth house in Hudson seeks $1.1 million: Akron House of the Week," 26 Mar. 2018
Her biggest contributors are members of the DeVos family, who are well-known Republican benefactors from the west side of Michigan.

— kathleen gray, Detroit Free Press, "Campaign cash flowing into races for attorney general, secretary of state in Michigan," 31 Jan. 2018
Plenty of sneaker companies, local businesses, and other program benefactors could emerge to compensate the handful of stars who are generating revenue and foregoing NBA salaries.

— andrew sharp, SI.com, "How Will the NBA Respond to the Corruption in College Basketball?," 23 Mar. 2018
Cambridge Analytica’s investors have included Trump benefactor Robert Mercer and former White House aide Steve Bannon, two of Trump’s biggest boosters.

— kim hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Cambridge Analytica active in elections, big data projects for years," 22 Mar. 2018
As Hungary's parliamentary campaign enters its final weeks, Orban has made attacks on his onetime benefactor the centerpiece of his reelection campaign.

— griffe witte, chicagotribune.com, "Once-fringe Soros conspiracy theory takes center stage in Hungarian election," 18 Mar. 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.