sponsor
Americannoun
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sponsors
plural
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a person who vouches or is responsible for a person or thing.
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a person, firm, organization, etc., that finances and buys the time to broadcast a radio or television program so as to advertise a product, a political party, etc.
- Synonyms:
- advertiser
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a person who makes a pledge or promise on behalf of another.
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Christianity. a person who promises to mentor a youth or new convert preparing for confirmation or initiation, or who answers for an infant at baptism.
verb (used with object)
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sponsors,
present (3rd person singular)
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sponsored,
past participle, past
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sponsoring
present participle
noun
-
-
a commercial organization that pays all or part of the cost of putting on a concert, sporting event, etc
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a person who donates money to a charity when the person requesting the donation has performed a specified activity as part of an organized fund-raising effort
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a person or business firm that pays the costs of a radio or television programme in return for advertising time
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a legislator who presents and supports a bill, motion, etc
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Also called: godparent.
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an authorized witness who makes the required promises on behalf of a person to be baptized and thereafter assumes responsibility for his Christian upbringing
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a person who presents a candidate for confirmation
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a person who undertakes responsibility for the actions, statements, obligations, etc, of another, as during a period of apprenticeship; guarantor
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sponsorsimple
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sponsorssimple
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have sponsoredperfect
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has sponsoredperfect
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am sponsoringprogressive
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are sponsoringprogressive
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is sponsoringprogressive
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have been sponsoringperfect progressive
-
has been sponsoringperfect progressive
Past
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sponsoredsimple
-
had sponsoredperfect
-
was sponsoringprogressive
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were sponsoringprogressive
-
had been sponsoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sponsor
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin spōnsor “guarantor,” equivalent to spond(ēre) “to pledge” + -tor -tor, with dt becoming s
Explanation
A sponsor provides support for someone or something, typically by supplying cash. Because your company is a sponsor for a homeless organization, they provide funding for the annual 5K run to raise money for the shelter. The word sponsor stems from the Latin word spondre, meaning "give assurance, promise solemnly." A sponsor might support an important issue such as cancer research or education, or a sponsor might take responsibility for someone. You might be your brother's sponsor so he can join your exclusive chess group. Sponsor has a verb form to describe the action of supporting or leading something. You can sponsor a nonprofit arts organization by donating and participating on the board.
Vocabulary lists containing sponsor
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Iroquois Constitution
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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:
The United States had initially announced in July its intent to delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move seen as a vote of confidence in Sharaa.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Legislative records, court filings and lawmakers’ public statements show that in almost every case, the sponsor attended the WallBuilders conference, credited the group, or cited Barton’s work directly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
She also is set to be featured on limited-edition cans of Mug Root Beer, which is a sponsor of the contest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
CD&R’s holdings of Multi-Color’s equity and debt gave the sponsor leverage to drive the restructuring from different parts of the capital structure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Hello. I am Joey Pow. I am beating all my opponents in four and a half seconds. It is because I wear the red trunks my sponsor says are good luck. This is my sponsor.”
From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen
The United States on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions and marking another step in warming ties between the countries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Costa has worked with sponsors including Cadillac and Mastercard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
According to Spooner, Morgan wanted to bring in corporate sponsors and feature music genres outside of punk to generate more interest and maximize profits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Riders earn points set by the UCI to gain entry to the biggest races, which in turn means increased exposure for sponsors.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
As my mentor, he gets to control the flow of gifts from the sponsors.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
After eight months, they ruled the atrocity was an act of state sponsored terrorism carried out by members of the Libyan intelligence service.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Earlier this year, Brigette Pheloung McHale, a 29-year-old influencer in New York City with 1.8 million TikTok followers, raised the bar for sponsored bachelorette parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Mala Wangzi has opened pop-up museums around the country, held more than 4,000 latiao-themed weddings for superfan couples, and sponsored e-sport events, music festivals, and animation conventions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“California is sending a powerful message that there is no place for paraquat in modern agriculture,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, which sponsored Friedman’s legislation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
These were run by the Communist League of Youth, or Komsomol, which sponsored clubs called Osoaviakhim that gave military training to the Soviet Union’s young people.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
The state’s share of U.S. post-production employment has dropped from 53% to 42% over the last 13 years, according to CVL Economics, whose founder helped start the trade group sponsoring the bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
But the huge purchases have also often drawn accusations of sportswashing - sponsoring or hosting sporting events to promote a positive public image and distract attention from human rights issues.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
But that changed late Tuesday, when Beutner sent a letter to state Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, a South Bay Democrat who is sponsoring the legislation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
That Peter was sponsoring a program for ex-offenders at his greenhouse business means no end of possible suspects, disgruntled or otherwise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal-winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
