godfather

[ god-fah-th er ]

/ ˈgɒdˌfɑ ðər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR godfather ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a man who serves as sponsor for a child at baptism.

any male sponsor or guardian.

(often initial capital letter) a powerful leader, especially of the Mafia.

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)

to act as godfather to; be sponsor or protector for.

RELATED WORDS

elder, patron

Nearby words

Origin of godfather

before 1000; Middle English godfader, Old English godfæder. See God, father

Related formsgod·fa·ther·ly, adjective

Godfather, The

[ god-fah-th er ]

/ ˈgɒdˌfɑ ðər /

noun

a novel (1969) by Mario Puzo.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for godfather

Forty-two years after its debut, The Godfather casts a long shadow over American cinema.
The Alterna-‘Godfather’: ‘A Most Violent Year’|Nick Schager|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The godfather, Alston, was around back of the building, sitting on a bench at the edge of the playground.
This Brooklyn 6-Year-Old’s Murderer Is Still on the Loose|Michael Daly|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a 3-year-old she wandered on screen in The Godfather Part III.
The Next Great Coppola|Caryn James|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It stretches back to The Godfather, when everyone who died met their demise with something orange nearby.
All the Signs That Don Draper Will Die on ‘Mad Men’|Kevin Fallon|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The godfather of JFK celebrity conspiracy theorists is director Oliver Stone.
Celebrity Conspiracy Theorists: Courtney Love Finds Malaysian Flight 370|Amy Zimmerman|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Foma hearing this, had often been quite provoked by his godfather's too picturesque language.
Foma Gordyeff|Maxim Gorky
And so I say, if you think you like me, and wood like to keep on having me fer your godfather, say yes and I will be much obliged.
Deer Godchild|Marguerite Bernard and Edith Serrell
Dear godfather, why say you the girls must go easy to learn the American?
Deer Godchild|Marguerite Bernard and Edith Serrell
War is its father, famine its mother, despair its godfather.
In the World War|Count Ottokar Czernin
The goat ran away and the old woman went in with Godfather Mouse, whom she married, and they both lived there together.
Italian Popular Tales|Thomas Frederick Crane

British Dictionary definitions for godfather

godfather

/ (ˈɡɒdˌfɑːðə) /

noun

a male godparent

the head of a Mafia family or other organized criminal ring

an originator or leading exponentthe godfather of South African pop

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for godfather

godfather

man who sponsors one at baptism, late 12c., from god + father (n.). In the Mafia sense, from 1963. Popularized by Mario Puzo's novel (1969) and the movie based on it (1972).