patronage

noun

pa·​tron·​age ˈpa-trə-nij  ˈpā- 

1

: advowson

2

: the support or influence of a patron

the patronage of science by universities

3

: kindness done with an air of superiority

The prince deigned to bestow his patronage on the composer.

4

: business or activity provided by patrons

the new branch library is expected to have a heavy patronage

5

a

: the power to make appointments to government jobs especially for political advantage

… oust his enemies from office and use the patronage to support his policies …

—H. K. Beale

b

: the distribution of jobs on the basis of patronage

The governor filled the vacated positions through patronage.

c

: jobs distributed by patronage

the government's vast network of patronage

Synonyms of patronage

• sponsorship

Examples of patronage in a Sentence

The college relied on the patronage of its wealthy graduates to expand its funds.

They thanked her for her patronage of the new hospital.

The city should do more to encourage patronage of local businesses.

a system of political patronage

Recent Examples on the Web

Nearly all of Maui, except for Lahaina town, was open to visitors, but businesses across the island were struggling with understaffing or slow patronage. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026

For more than a century, Americans have taken pride in a professional civil service insulated from raw political patronage. —James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Advertisement Billions of dollars that could have gone toward infrastructure, education, and public services have instead been diverted into inflated contracts, legal settlements, patronage networks, and crisis management. —Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 30 Jan. 2026

Princess Anne has been a reliable senior royal for many years, earning a reputation as the family's hardest-working royal, taking on patronages, royal tours, investiture ceremonies and more. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

patronage

noun

pa·​tron·​age ˈpa-trə-nij  ˈpā- 

1

: the support or influence of a patron

2

: business or activity provided by patrons

3

: the power to give out government jobs, contracts, or favors