godmother
Americannoun
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godmothers
plural
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a woman who serves as sponsor for a child at baptism.
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any female sponsor or guardian.
verb (used with object)
noun
Usage
What does godmother mean? A godmother is a woman who’s a godparent—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. The word godmother is also sometimes used in a more general way to refer to a woman, especially one who’s older, who serves as a person’s mentor, protector, or simply someone who shows them kindness. The term fairy godmother is used in this way. Godmother can also be used in a somewhat figurative way to refer to a woman who’s considered the originator or main guiding force of a movement, school of thought, art form, or industry. Example: Joann is a wonderful godmother and spoils all of her godchildren.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of godmother
before 1000; Middle English; Old English godmōdor; see origin at god, mother 1
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:
As Roy writes, "The LGBTQ+ movement was young in India. Hungry for a queer history, it seemed to have seized on Chapal Bhaduri to be its fairy godmother."
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
“I will feel like her godmother, aunt, older sister, whatever for the rest of my life,” says Kulukundis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk and AI "godmother" Fei-Fei Li are among those depicted on one of the magazine's two covers.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
It belonged to Jean's godmother Jeanne Baudot, a friend and student of Renoir's, who passed the painting on to her inheritors.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
“Isabelle!” yelled her godmother as she ran to the girl.
From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
The entire vibe around Sunday was fueled by female empowerment thanks to riot grrrl godmothers Bikini Kill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Ronni Lundy, one of the godmothers of contemporary Appalachian cuisine, writes about this in her 2016 cookbook “Victuals.”
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2025
In the following years, the women started enrolling tens of thousands, earning the nickname of “Madrinas del Obamacare,” or “Obamacare” godmothers, evoking the crucial role godparents play in Latino culture.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
In the following years, the women started enrolling tens of thousands, earning the nickname of “Madrinas del Obamacare,” or Obamacare godmothers, evoking the crucial role godparents play in Latino culture.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Our godmothers waited on us hand and foot, and we began to enjoy and even revel in the attention.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
