patronize
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- patronizable adjective
- patronization noun
- patronizer noun
- repatronize verb (used with object)
- transpatronize verb (used with object)
- unpatronizable adjective
- well-patronized adjective
Etymology
Origin of patronize
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.
Bryant said members of the council emphasized ensuring the messaging didn’t patronize young users and allowed teens enough time to download their conversations and say goodbye to their chatbots.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Practitioners of downward dog and their actual dogs patronize this tangerine-colored canteen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
I’ve been thinking about the nightclubs our community used to frequent and the ones we patronize now.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025
Azuka said it has resonated with audiences who she was keen not to "patronize".
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2025
As word spread that a young, handsome, and apparently unmarried doctor now stood behind the counter, an increasing number of single women in their twenties began to patronize the store.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
