benefactor

noun

ben·​e·​fac·​tor ˈbe-nə-ˌfak-tər 

: 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

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.

Synonyms of benefactor

• donor
• donator

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 on the Web

Harvard and its peer institutions won’t suddenly stop caring about their largest benefactors. — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

Now, RadarOnline has confirmed that some of the celebration was paid by a Russian benefactor, oligarch Umar Kremlev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2026

Kremlev was either seeking something in return for his own business or, more likely in this case, some payoff for his benefactor Putin. — Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

All O’Neil asks in return is for Lizzie to be her benefactor. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for benefactor

• chiropractor
• malefactor
• multifactor
• subcontractor
• acter
• actor
• factor
• tractor
• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor

Kids Definition

benefactor

noun

bene·​fac·​tor

ˈben-ə-ˌfak-tər

: one who helps another especially by giving money