godparent
Americannoun
-
godparents
plural
noun
Usage
What does godparent mean? A godparent is a person who has pledged to help with the upbringing of a child, 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. Godparents are often related to their godchildren (an aunt might be her nephew’s godmother, 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 godchildren.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of godparent
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:
I learned my barista’s favorite drink before they learned mine, and I now track the status of their foster dog with the devotion of a godparent.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025
The Thomases are intimately involved with the Bolicks family, according to the Post and the Arizona Mirror, which reported Justice Thomas is godparent to the Bolicks’ son.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
The document also explores Bishop Negri's other questions, including whether trans people can be a godparent.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
However, there is no right for anyone to be a godparent at a baptism, the document states.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
“I guess, technically, a godparent is supposed to be a religious thing,” Mom explains.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Barnes said her godparents were, “instrumental in building this whole community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025
"It was significant that he said trans men and women could be godparents."
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
If the new breed of outdoor magazines had a family tree, The Surfer’s Journal might be the parents, maybe the godparents.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
Another reversal came in late 2023, when the Vatican made public a statement saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for transgender people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
Mrs. Ingram, and your godparents the McNairs, the Floods, the Taylors, they were the first ones to come.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
