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

• godfatherly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of godfather

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

Example Sentences

That movie appeared 20 years ago, longer than the gap between the second and third Godfather epics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

Hinton, considered the "Godfather of AI", told the 2026 Digital World Conference in Geneva that there was a dire need to strengthen governance frameworks and ethical safeguards around the technology.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

All this brings to mind a famous scene in “The Godfather Part II.”

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

Ozzy Osbourne - aka The Godfather of Heavy Metal, aka The Prince Of Darkness - was a singular talent and one of the UK's most beloved musicians.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

“Until then it’s liq­uids and shakes. You will lose some weight and you will be talking like A1 Pacino from the first Godfather movie for a little while.”

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini