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

The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and is privately operated by a corporation of just under 1,000 benefactors who have an endowment of over $2 billion. —Claudia Williams, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026

The benefactors, on the other hand, wore their wealth with ease. —Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026

Some of Duchamp’s Readymades were produced as gifts for, or with input from, his chief benefactor, Walter Arensberg, a steel-fortune heir. —Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026

Iran is Hezbollah's most significant benefactor. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 9 Apr. 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