mentor

1 of 2

noun

men·​tor ˈmen-ˌtȯr 

-tər

1

capitalized : a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus' son Telemachus

2

a

: a trusted counselor or guide

a mentor who, because he is detached and disinterested, can hold up a mirror to us

—P. W. Keve

b

: tutor, coach

The student sought a mentor in chemistry.

mentor

2 of 2

verb

mentored; mentoring; mentors

transitive verb

: to serve as a mentor for : tutor

Synonyms

Verb

• guide
• coach

Examples of mentor in a Sentence

Noun

After college, her professor became her close friend and mentor.

He needed a mentor to teach him about the world of politics.

We volunteer as mentors to disadvantaged children.

young boys in need of mentors

Verb

The young intern was mentored by the country's top heart surgeon.

Our program focuses on mentoring teenagers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the finals of the 2025 King of the Ring tournament and a true dream match for WWE fans, Rhodes defeated his former mentor Randy Orton via Cross Rhodes in a strong show-opener. —Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Hayes, played by Pitt, needs to mentor the young hotshot Joshua Pierce (Idris) as the pair takes on a mentor-mentee relationship. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025

Verb

There are many mentoring programs in Baltimore: Caroline Center, sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame; Sisters Circle, Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood, and my personal favorite, OrchKids, and the list goes on. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2025

Monticello was one of several stops on a 14-day journey North for Helton and eight other middle and high schoolers in Leadership LINKS Inc., a mentoring program for Black girls and young women. —Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

as name borrowed from Latin Mentōr, borrowed from Greek Méntōr; as generic noun borrowed from French mentor, after Mentor, character in the novel Les aventures de Télémaque (1699) by the French cleric and writer François Fénelon (1651-1715), based on characters in the Odyssey

Note: In Fénelon's work Mentor is a principal character, and his speeches and advice to Telemachus during their travels constitute much of the book's substance.

Verb

derivative of mentor entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1918, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mentor

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

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Kids Definition

mentor

1 of 2 noun

men·​tor ˈmen-ˌtȯ(ə)r 

ˈment-ər

: a wise and faithful adviser or teacher

mentor

2 of 2 verb

: to serve as a mentor for : tutor

a volunteer who mentors students

Geographical Definition

Mentor

geographical name

Men·​tor ˈmen-tər 

city in northeastern Ohio northeast of Cleveland population 47,159