godfather

American  

[god-fah-ther] / ˈgɒdˌfɑ ðər /

noun

• godfathers
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• godfatherly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• godfathers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of godfather

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

godfather godfathers

Later, the couple repaid the film producer by making him godfather to their daughter, Lilibet.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

He’s been called the godfather of farmland groundwater recharge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Inspiration came from a noble predecessor, Charles Ives, the godfather of modern American music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Twana Jamal, once described as "the godfather" of migrant camps in northern France, was recently confronted by our reporting team while running one of the stores, in Blaby on the outskirts of Leicester.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Three of the scheduled anointed speakers did not show, among them church founders Rev. Thomas McNair, my godfather, and Sister Virginia Ingram, both having pleaded illness or scheduling conflicts.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Several key figures have since walked out, among them Yann LeCun, considered one of the "godfathers" of modern AI, who had led Meta's AI research since 2013.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

LeCun, often described as one of the godfathers of AI, created an AI research organization inside Facebook in 2013 and became Meta’s chief AI scientist a few years later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

The three "godfathers" have publicly stated opposing views on how dangerous AI could be.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025

“It’s almost like watching your parents fight. The two godfathers of the industry have divergent opinions on such a fundamental question.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025

The next Saturday, Desdemona, seized with conflicting emotions, watched as the children’s godfathers held them above the baptismal font at Assumption.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides