godfather
Americannoun
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a man who serves as sponsor for a child at baptism.
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any male sponsor or guardian.
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(often initial capital letter) a powerful leader, especially of the Mafia.
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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.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a male godparent
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the head of a Mafia family or other organized criminal ring
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an originator or leading exponent
the godfather of South African pop
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of godfather
before 1000; Middle English godfader, Old English godfæder; see origin at god, father
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.
On Aug. 1, a 12-piece jazz ensemble will gather in tribute to the late Roy Ayers, the pioneering jazz-funk vibraphonist and godfather of neo soul.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
A few years ago, my godfather was jailed on trumped-up “anticonversion” charges.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
So, while the growers were losing money hand over fist, housing developers were coming through with godfather offers to buy them out, convert them to row housing, and sell, sell, sell.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Also appearing will be the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop, and Fatboy Slim -- the British DJ and producer who dominated the electronic music scene in the 1990s.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
“Your sister’s saying isn’t gonna save my dad and my godfather, JP.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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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.