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Synonyms

patron

1 American  
[pey-truhn] / ˈpeɪ trən /

noun

  1. a person who is a customer, client, or paying guest, especially a regular one, of a store, hotel, or the like.

  2. a person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement an artist, writer, museum, cause, charity, institution, special event, or the like.

    a patron of the arts; patrons of the annual Democratic dance.

  3. a person whose support or protection is solicited or acknowledged by the dedication of a book or other work.

  4. patron saint.

  5. Roman History. the protector of a dependent or client, often the former master of a freedman still retaining certain rights over him.

  6. Ecclesiastical. a person who has the right of presenting a member of the clergy to a benefice.

patrón 2 American  
[pah-trawn] / pɑˈtrɔn /

noun

Spanish.

plural

patrones

  1. (in Mexico and the southwestern U.S.) a boss; employer.

patron 1 British  
/ ˈpeɪtrən, pəˈtrəʊnəl /

noun

  1. a person, esp a man, who sponsors or aids artists, charities, etc; protector or benefactor

  2. a customer of a shop, hotel, etc, esp a regular one

  3. See patron saint

  4. (in ancient Rome) the protector of a dependant or client, often the former master of a freedman still retaining certain rights over him

  5. Christianity a person or body having the right to present a clergyman to a benefice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
patron 2 British  
/ patrɔ̃ /

noun

  1. a man, who owns or manages a hotel, restaurant, or bar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
patron 3 British  
/ ˈpætərn /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of pattern 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • patronal adjective
  • patrondom noun
  • patronless adjective
  • patronly adjective
  • patronship noun
  • subpatronal adjective

Etymology

Origin of patron1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Medieval Latin, Latin patrōnus “legal protector, advocate” ( Medieval Latin: “lord, master”), derivative of pater “father”; pattern

Origin of patrón2

First recorded in 1860–65; from Spanish; patron ( def. )

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.

Castro almost fell off a cliff in the early 1990s when he lost his Soviet patron, but he had moves then, and he made them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The colour is believed to be a homage to the fifth Earl of Rosebery, Archibald Primrose, a 19th Century Liberal prime minister and patron of Scottish football.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The tree sat on the Kiowa Ranch, a property that noted arts patron Mabel Dodge Luhan had given to Frieda Lawrence, wife of the British writer D.H.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Also, if I’m a longtime patron of the business, I make note of that.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

“I guess we should get back to beating the bushes, then. Find my patron and find you some answers.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.