patron saint

noun

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Examples: patron saint in a Sentence

Definition of patron saint

1 : a saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated

2 : an original leader or prime exemplar

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Examples of patron saint in a Sentence

St. David is the patron saint of Wales.
St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers.
The success of her books has made her the patron saint of a new literary movement.

Recent Examples of patron saint from the Web

The message was clear: even Hayward’s patron saint wasn’t afraid to make changes.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Farewell, Old Hayward Field," 27 Apr. 2018
Significant April date The pair welcomed their third child on St. George's Day, the feast day of Saint George, a patron saint.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Kate Middleton and Prince William welcome royal baby No. 3: Everything we know," 23 Apr. 2018
Suddenly, the patron saint of beer-lovers—the brewer's yeast St. Saccharomyces cerevisiae—reaches out and momentarily squashes the hill nearly flat.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Lumber’s lure: Thanks to physics, viable biofuel may grow in the woods," 5 Apr. 2018
The family’s first stop was a Catholic church near their home so Avelica could thank Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.

— andrea castillo, www.latimes.com, "How one L.A. father’s arrest put an entire neighborhood on edge," 5 Apr. 2018
Mondor said the event was to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment.

— Washington Post, "‘Surfing Padre,’ known for blessing California waves, dies," 27 Apr. 2018
April 23 marks an important day in English history: St. George’s Day, which is the feast day of St. George, the patron saint of England.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "Happy St. George's Day! Why Today Has Special Meaning for the Royal Baby's Birth," 23 Apr. 2018
Once a year, a pastor comes to the school, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian church, to bless pets in honor of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

— karin brulliard, chicagotribune.com, "Animal house? More colleges are saying yes to dogs and cats in dorms.," 14 Apr. 2018
The baby was born on St. George's Day, marking the national day for England's patron saint.

— kim hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Royal baby: Will & Kate's new prince is named Louis Arthur Charles," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'patron saint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.