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Synonyms

mentor

1 American  
[men-tawr, -ter] / ˈmɛn tɔr, -tər /

noun

  1. a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

    Synonyms:
    preceptor, guide, master, adviser

  2. an influential senior sponsor or supporter.

verb (used without object)

  1. to act as a mentor.

    She spent years mentoring to junior employees.

verb (used with object)

  1. to act as a mentor to.

    The brash young executive did not wish to be mentored by anyone.
Mentor 2 American  
[men-ter] / ˈmɛn tər /

noun

  1. a town in NE Ohio.

Mentor 3 American  
[men-tawr, -ter] / ˈmɛn tɔr, -tər /

noun

  1. (in theOdyssey ) a loyal adviser of Odysseus entrusted with the care and education of Telemachus.

mentor 1 British  
/ ˈmɛntɔː /

noun

  1. a wise or trusted adviser or guide

"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

verb

  1. to act as a mentor to (someone); train

"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
Mentor 2 British  
/ ˈmɛntɔː /

noun

  1. the friend whom Odysseus put in charge of his household when he left for Troy. He was the adviser of the young Telemachus

"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

Usage

What does mentor mean? A mentor is the main person you rely on to give you advice and guidance, especially in your career.Mentor can also be used as a verb meaning to act as a mentor, as in I mentor two of my students. If you have a mentor, you are the mentee.Example: It feels strange to me that I’m now more famous than my mentor—I wouldn’t be where I am without her.

Other Word Forms

  • mentorial adjective
  • mentorship noun

Etymology

Origin of mentor

First recorded in 1740–50; after Mentor (from Greek Méntōr )

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.

Throughout his astronaut training, his mentor along the way was Hadfield, a young Hansen told the BBC in 2014.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

“Transcription” consists of three sections connected to the narrator’s relationship with his mentor, an eminent scholar and translator named Thomas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Binderbauer, 57, and his mentor, Norman Rostoker, were among those who co-founded TAE in 1998.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Bidding to succeed his former mentor in 1995, Jospin shocked many Socialists by claiming a "right of inventory" over Mitterrand's legacy -- a right to reassess a record that loyalists deemed sacrosanct.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

The next morning he went to see the man he had long considered his mentor, Louis Austin.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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.