godfather

American  

[god-fah-ther] / ˈgɒdˌfɑ ðər /

noun

1. a man who serves as sponsor for a child at baptism.

2. any male sponsor or guardian.

3. (often initial capital letter) a powerful leader, especially of the Mafia.

4. a person who is regarded as the originator or principal shaper of a movement, school of thought, art form, industry, or the like.

   the godfather of abstract expressionism.

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verb (used with object)

1. to act as godfather to; be sponsor or protector for.

godfather British  

/ ˈɡɒdˌfɑːðə /

noun

1. a male godparent

2. the head of a Mafia family or other organized criminal ring

3. an originator or leading exponent

   the godfather of South African pop

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• godfatherly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of godfather

before 1000; Middle English godfader, Old English godfæder; see origin at god, father

Example Sentences

So, while the growers were losing money hand over fist, housing developers were coming through with godfather offers to buy them out, convert them to row housing, and sell, sell, sell.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Also appearing will be the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop, and Fatboy Slim -- the British DJ and producer who dominated the electronic music scene in the 1990s.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The son of two lawyers - his mother was as senior judge - Peter Magyar also counts a former Hungarian president as his godfather, and he was very interested in politics from an early age.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Hubbard, who is crashing at the home of her godfather in Arkansas, said she’s considering it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

He seemed set on course to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling