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

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Etymology

Origin of godfather

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

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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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sheen said PCBs were now known as "the godfather of forever chemicals".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

As for the second question, if I were former Dodgers owner and aerial tram godfather Frank McCourt, I’d fasten my seat belt, because the gondola is about to hit some heavy turbulence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

As the university owned one of the finest reference libraries in the province, Longridge often stayed with him and was, in fact, godfather to the Hunters’ nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

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

At a different event in Washington, Sanders recently pressed Geoffrey Hinton, considered one of the godfathers of AI, on what AI could mean for employment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025

The godfathers of Laukkaing rose to power after Min Aung Hlaing, who now heads Myanmar's military government, led an operation to oust the town's then-dominant warlord.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

Merrick Bobb, one of the godfathers of the modern police oversight movement in Los Angeles and beyond, has died.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

In middle age he was the wealthy, respected man he had wanted to be when he was a struggling adolescent without godfathers and with no greater capital than his pride and ambition.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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