mentor
noun
a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
mentor
1 American
[men-tawr, -ter]
/ ˈmɛn tɔr, -tər /
Mentor
2
American
[men-ter]
/ ˈmɛn tər /
noun
Mentor
3
American
[men-tawr, -ter]
/ ˈmɛn tɔr, -tər /
noun
mentor
1
British
/ ˈmɛntɔː /
noun
verb
Mentor
2
British
/ ˈmɛntɔː /
noun
Usage
What does mentor mean? A mentor is the main person you rely on to give you advice and guidance, especially in your career. Mentor can also be used as a verb meaning to act as a mentor, as in I mentor two of my students. If you have a mentor, you are the mentee. Example: It feels strange to me that I’m now more famous than my mentor—I wouldn’t be where I am without her.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mentor
First recorded in 1740–50; after Mentor (from Greek Méntōr )
Explanation
A mentor is a person who trains and guides someone, like the second-grade English teacher who saw the spark of creativity in your writing and encouraged you to become a professional author. The original Mentor was a character in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey; Mentor looked after Odysseus's family, particularly his son Telemachus, while Odysseus was off fighting in the Trojan War. Today the word is used to describe any person who acts as an advisor or teacher. As a noun, mentor describes the coach who taught you to play baseball. As a verb, mentor is what the coach does to help you improve your swing.
Vocabulary lists containing mentor
The Hunger Games
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Monster
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You Name It: Eponyms
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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.
In November 1832, eight survivors of the sunken American whaleship Mentor set out into the Pacific Ocean in a pair of rickety boats.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Once it became clear that the survivors of the Mentor were American, the Ngarchelongese agreed to help them get home by building them a canoe to supplement their whaling boat.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
The Mentor had set sail from New Bedford, Mass., the whaling capital of the United States, in July 1831, with a complement of 21 men led by Capt. Edward Barnard.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
High-profile athletes have spoken about their decision to freeze their eggs, including England cricket captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and former England netballer Geva Mentor.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025
"Evil can do anything, Gabe," Mentor said, "for a price."
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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.
