Definition of godfather
1 : a man who sponsors a person at baptism
2 : one having a relation to someone or something analogous to that of a male sponsor to his godchild: such asa : one that founds, supports, or inspires made him the godfather of a whole generation of rebels — The Times Literary Supplement (London)b : the leader of an organized crime syndicate
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Examples of godfather in a Sentence
Her uncle is her godfather.
Many people regard him as the godfather of rock and roll.
Recent Examples of godfather from the Web
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The young ladies were escorted by their fathers, but for Ellen Ashley Feringa, her godfather, Ernest Johnson, accompanied her, while her sister, Megan Lane Feringa, was escorted by their father.
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His godfather was a police officer, and as a young man, Winslow spent years as a private investigator, working murder cases, arsons and wrongful-death suits.
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Christensen is known as the godfather of the All Pro Dad organization, helping to launch the program over 20 years ago with former Tampa Bay head coach Tony Dungy.
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Pappas' Grill Greg Pappas is the godfather of gyros in Birmingham.
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In his tiny 5-year-old lifespan, my older son has also experienced the death of his godfather (my late-brother-in-law) and two additional great-grandparents.
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When Hernandez, formerly a high-ranking Hialeah police officer, ran for mayor in 2011 and re-election two years later, Rice often engaged his political godfather’s opponents in public confrontations.
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In one letter, Dr. Madjar shared that he had named Murray the godfather in absentia to the third of his five children.
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Mario Maglieri, 93, Hollywood entrepreneur who doubled as a godfather figure to generations of rock stars from the Doors’ Jim Morrison to Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose, died May 4.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'godfather'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of godfather
before 12th century
godfather
Definition of godfather
transitive verb
: to act as godfather to
First Known Use of godfather
1651
GODFATHER Defined for English Language Learners
godfather
playDefinition of godfather for English Language Learners
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: a man who is a godparent
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: a man who invents or begins something
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: the leader of a group of criminals who belong to a secret criminal organization (such as the Mafia)
GODFATHER Defined for Kids
godfather
playDefinition of godfather for Students
: a boy or man who is a sponsor for someone at baptism
Learn More about godfather
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Spanish Central: Translation of godfather Nglish: Translation of godfather for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about godfather
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