godparent
Americannoun
-
godparents
plural
noun
Usage
What does godparent mean? A godparent is 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. A godparent can still refer to their godchild with that term even after the child becomes an adult. Example: Some people are godparents in name only, but Kelly and Chris spend as much time as they can with their godchildren.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of godparent
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:
I learned my barista’s favorite drink before they learned mine, and I now track the status of their foster dog with the devotion of a godparent.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025
The Thomases are intimately involved with the Bolicks family, according to the Post and the Arizona Mirror, which reported Justice Thomas is godparent to the Bolicks’ son.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
“Being a godparent is a big responsibility, it’s taking the place of the mother or father, it’s not a game,” she said as her voice broke.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
However, there is no right for anyone to be a godparent at a baptism, the document states.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
“I guess, technically, a godparent is supposed to be a religious thing,” Mom explains.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Guy Moon long scored the magical antics of “Fairly OddParents,” an animated series that tracks the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with fairy godparents who grant him wishes to solve his everyday problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
"It was significant that he said trans men and women could be godparents."
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
Another reversal came in late 2023, when the Vatican made public a statement saying it’s permissible, under certain circumstances, for transgender people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
Francis’ latest initiative was a document from the Vatican’s doctrine office asserting that, under some circumstances, transgender people can be baptized and can serve as godparents and witnesses in weddings.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
I looked around to find the quickest route within the limits of the honesty in which I had been raised, and I realized that success required godparents, advanced studies, or capital.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
