patronize
Americanverb (used with object)
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patronizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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patronized,
past participle, past
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patronizing
present participle
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to give (a store, restaurant, hotel, etc.) one's regular patronage; trade with.
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to behave in an offensively condescending manner toward.
a professor who patronizes his students.
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to act as a patron toward (an artist, institution, etc.); support.
verb
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to behave or treat in a condescending way
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(tr) to act as a patron or patroness by sponsoring or bringing trade to
Usage
What does patronize mean? To patronize is to be a customer (or patron) of a business or other establishment. In this sense, patronize most often means to be a paying customer, especially a regular one. However, you can patronize establishments that are not businesses—you can patronize a library, for example. Example: I patronize local shops and restaurants whenever I can in order to support people in my own community, instead of enriching faceless corporations. Patronize also means to act condescendingly toward a person in a way that arrogantly implies that you’re being kind or helpful to that person. This often takes the form of speaking to someone as if they were a child. Someone who acts in this way can be described as patronizing. Example: Don’t patronize me, Jeff—I understand the topic just as well as you do.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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patronizationnoun
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patronizernoun
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repatronizeverb (used with object)
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transpatronizeverb (used with object)
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patronizableadjective
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unpatronizableadjective
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well-patronizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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patronizesimple
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patronizessimple
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have patronizedperfect
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has patronizedperfect
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am patronizingprogressive
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are patronizingprogressive
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is patronizingprogressive
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have been patronizingperfect progressive
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has been patronizingperfect progressive
Past
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patronizedsimple
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had patronizedperfect
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was patronizingprogressive
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were patronizingprogressive
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had been patronizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of patronize
Explanation
If you patronize a business, you shop there regularly. But if someone patronizes you, it's not so pleasant — they talk to you as if you were inferior or not very intelligent. Patronize comes from Latin patronus "protector, master," related to pater "father." So if you patronize a person, you talk down to them like a father might do to his child or a master to his apprentice. If you want to take an advanced class and your advisor warns you of all the hard work, you can tell him to stop patronizing you — you know a hard class involves hard work. This sounds much better than saying, "I'm not stupid!"
Vocabulary lists containing patronize
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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:
Usually, people leave that stadium wondering why they continue to patronize the NFL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Who would patronize these houses of financial ill-repute?
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
Azuka said it has resonated with audiences who she was keen not to "patronize".
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025
Spectacle is one way to get people to show up in person and perhaps patronize other businesses too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025
“Don’t patronize me,” she said crossly, then her tone softened again.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
The opportunity is now for the public to show that it prefers non-idiocy in the media outlets it patronizes and is willing to pay for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
She said the retailers she patronizes include Express, Shein, and Walmart.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Even as Paul’s life changes mid-novel, Wayne patronizes his protagonist, reducing him to a cultural cliche which, while rooted in truth, stays flat on the page.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2022
Sales of the five-piece Smart Set capsule collection of women’s work wear benefits Smart Works, a charity she patronizes that helps unemployed women find jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2019
Thick rugs cover every floor, and paintings from several local artists she patronizes line our walls.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
They know when they’re being patronized, even if they don’t always say it.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2025
At one point, teammate Kiké Hernández playfully patronized the right-handed pitcher, telling him the misplaced pitches shouldn’t make him feel bad.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2024
She said the East was largely misunderstood by West Germans — belittled, patronized and often ignored.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
I never patronized the store, even though it was a block away from my condo, because I was a loyal customer of Bartell Drugs Store No. 1 at Fifth Avenue and Olive Way downtown.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
There was a house out by the baseball park he patronized.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
You can empathize with your friend without demonizing your own position or patronizing her by saying everything will be OK.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
But those successes are also what make the Netflix-ification of this film feel so completely unnecessary and patronizing.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2026
There was nothing patronizing about how Casa Bonita depicted Mexicans — no garish gifts, no mock Spanish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
While the guidance has the right intention, it can feel patronizing and constraining, some employees and observers say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2025
To this day I’ll never forget the patronizing, condescending way they spoke to her.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
