1
a
: a person who gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person especially in a professional or academic context
… a good mentor can model for you the things you need to do to learn and grow, what battles to fight, what steps to be taken …—
Judy Rosemarin
Judy RosemarinBusiness partners typically provide mentors, on-the-job training, and summer … work experiences in industry.—Lynn Olson
Lynn Olson
b
old-fashioned
: a teacher, tutor, or coach
The student sought a mentor in chemistry.
2
Mentor
: a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus' son Telemachus
mentored; mentoring; mentors
: to teach or give advice or guidance to (someone less experienced) : to act as a mentor for
When I was a young library director … older and wiser library administrators quickly mentored me on the dynamics of the director-board relationship.—Will Manley
Will Manley
mentoring
noun
new employees in need of mentoring
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
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025
Patients were complaining about wait times, hospital management was complaining about patient satisfaction, and Robby — still reeling from the death of his mentor during the pandemic — was trying to hold it all together.
—Ashley Boucher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The mission of Minnesota Children’s Press is to mentor rural students’ writing and illustration skills.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mentor
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Noun
Per Deadline, Hayley Atwell has come aboard as Helen Gordon, the ex-wife of Hassell’s Rupert Campbell-Black and the mother of his two children, Marcus and Tabitha, while Rupert Everett will take on the role of Gordon’s husband, Malise Gordon, Campbell-Black’s former show-jumping coach and mentor.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025
Patients were complaining about wait times, hospital management was complaining about patient satisfaction, and Robby — still reeling from the death of his mentor during the pandemic — was trying to hold it all together.
—Ashley Boucher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Since being cleared, Watson has primarily been mentoring the team’s two young quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and current starter Shedeur Sanders.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The mission of Minnesota Children’s Press is to mentor rural students’ writing and illustration skills.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mentor
Cite this Entry
“Mentor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentor. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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