goddaughter
Americannoun
-
goddaughters
plural
noun
Usage
What does goddaughter mean? A goddaughter is a girl who’s the godchild of one or more godparents—people who have pledged to help with her upbringing, especially in a religious way. In some denominations of Christianity, when a child is baptized, they are sponsored by (usually two) adults who pledge to help in this way. Those adults are the child’s godparents, and the child is their godchild. Goddaughters are often related to their godparents (a girl might be her aunt’s goddaughter, for example), but they don’t need to be. Godparents also often pledge to become the godchild’s guardian if needed (in the event that the child’s parents die). These terms are all sometimes applied outside of a religious context—parents may choose close relatives or friends to act as godparents for their children without any religious aspect to the relationship. A godparent can still refer to their godchild with that term even after the child becomes an adult. Example: Some people are godparents in name only, but Kelly and Chris spend as much time as they can with their goddaughter.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goddaughter
before 1050; Middle English; Old English goddohtor; see origin at god, daughter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Anyone who listens to this single on Cyrus’ 2017 album, “Younger Now,” can hear Parton’s bubbly voice behind that of her goddaughter, nestled between samples of phone messages the legend left for the pop songstress.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
“I will always love her and want to make her proud,” Miley Cyrus, who was Parton’s goddaughter, wrote on Instagram.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ms Coclough said she had tried to arrange a funeral for her goddaughter but the coroners refused to release the 10-year-old's body without parental consent.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
He meets his ambitious goddaughter Helena Shaw, an obnoxious thief looking to steal the Dial from a museum and sell it to the highest bidder.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
“How you feel about doing your goddaughter a solid on this lovely Saturday morning and taking a quick ride uptown?”
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
My goddaughters — their parents are my best friends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Carr plans on calling her goddaughters after she celebrates with thousands of other Black women at a conference later today.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2022
He is survived by his partner, Marler, and his goddaughters — Dorian and Dorian’s own daughter, Sarah Haspel.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2019
Princess Charlotte was joined as a bridesmaid by Prince Harry's god-daughters - Zalie Warren, two, and three-year-old Florence van Cutsem - and Meghan's Markle's goddaughters.
From BBC ● May 19, 2018
She can take her eight other goddaughters, if they want to stand her quarreling with every single person in authority—I won't let her have my girl.
From Highacres by Harriet Roosevelt Richards
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