patron

noun

ˈpā-trən How to pronounce patron (audio)
Definition of patronnext
1
as in customer
a person who buys a product or uses a service from a business a restaurant patron

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sponsor
a person who takes the responsibility for some other person or thing the wealthy philanthropist is one of the city's most generous patrons of its symphony orchestra

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in donor
one that helps another with gifts or money the patron for the museum's current blockbuster is the city's biggest banking institution

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of patron The explorer wanted his royal patrons to see his role in history as something foretold by the ancients. — Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026 But for a taboo exhibition business whose competition now fits inside the patron’s pocket, what, exactly, is being kept alive? — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026 Stearns and Gaviria said Crandon would likely have its own kind of patron card with a higher price point. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 They were once nearly kicked out of a Mastro’s Steakhouse in San Francisco because their bickering about baseball reached decibel levels that made other patrons uncomfortable. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patron
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patron
  1. customer
  2. sponsor
  3. donor
  4. client
  5. benefactor
  6. donator
  7. guest
Noun
  • Norma Mitchell, cofounder of the business and grandmother of its current top executives, died of the disease, and many other family members, employees and customers have been touched by it.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The company has been gradually increasing its use of AI across back office and customer-facing roles and has introduced an AI chatbot to its website to help customers plan their trips.
    — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of customer
Noun
  • Each group is given HR support, a presence on internal channels, an executive sponsor, and a seat in strategy meetings.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But this is an instance where a sponsor can provide tangible benefits to their motorsports partner beyond a bank transfer, as Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and OpenAI have been showing in IndyCar this year.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sponsor
Noun
  • This speed can be boosted in systems like NGC 362D, in which a neutron star is snatching material from a donor star because that material carries with it angular momentum.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But Gaviria and Stearns declined to reveal the donors who may be in line to back the effort.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of donor
Noun
  • Bank of America analyst Haas Liu said in a Monday note to clients that the deal is likely to be more about component purchases for Musk's product lines across SpaceX and Tesla .
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Uniting the case-of-the-week elements, which flow extremely smoothly from one episode to the next, is a bigger mystery involving Bo (Rob McClure), a whistleblowing client with a mind-blowing secret.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of client
Noun
  • Harvard and its peer institutions won’t suddenly stop caring about their largest benefactors.
    — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Now, RadarOnline has confirmed that some of the celebration was paid by a Russian benefactor, oligarch Umar Kremlev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefactor
Noun
  • Contributors can transfer stock to the Treasury, which will then invest the funds into accounts in line with the donator’s guidelines.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 6 July 2026
  • That’s the gold standard of cancer designations that allows patients and donators alike to understand Sylvester’s standards.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of donator
Noun
  • There was no question of Swift doing a musical number on the episode, since the musical guest had long since been announced as Turnstile.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
  • At Trâmette, Quang decided to test out the gratuity payment option — but only for guests with whom the staff may have struck a particularly good rapport.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of guest

Phrases Containing patron

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patrols
patron
patronage
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Cite this Entry

“Patron.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patron. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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