noun
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of benefactor
1425–75; late Middle English benefactour < Late Latin; see bene-, factor
Explanation
Every school, museum, and struggling artist is in search for a generous benefactor, or someone to provide the financial means to keep everything running smoothly. The Latin roots of benefactor are bene, which means "well," and facere, which means "to do" — literally, "to do well." A benefactor does well by supporting (usually financially) a person or a good cause. In the old days, a struggling artist or actor might have been supported by a wealthy benefactor. Now, many struggling artists and actors have to rely on waiting tables and other odd jobs instead.
Vocabulary lists containing benefactor
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Giving Words
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Make Do: Fac
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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:
If the company could not rely on a benefactor like Inouye, it would develop a stable of them.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Meanwhile, 16% of those expecting an inheritance haven’t discussed it at all with their hoped-for benefactor.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
When Cornelius Vanderbilt took steps to break up a railroad monopoly along the Hudson River in 1867, he was praised as a public benefactor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Castro is remembered by supporters as having guided Cuba through multiple crises -- US-backed invasions, embargoes, assassination plots and the intense hardship caused by the collapse of Cuba's main ally and benefactor, the Soviet Union.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
“How much do you want to bet that our mysterious benefactor is behind the trophy as well?” he said to Candice.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Supported by unnamed donors, he offers encouragement and religious-based morale boosts to politicians or their mutual benefactors.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
And if last week's reporting on LIV is accurate, the money tap from their Saudi Arabian benefactors might soon dry up.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
“I think the market is saying these financial companies are going to be the biggest benefactors of AI,” with margin and operational efficiency improvements, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
Jazz haunts with debts owed to its creators, and has a knack for revivals, collectives, new venues in the old forms, and stalwart clubs revivified by benefactors and grant funding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
I felt ashamed to appear before my benefactors so clad.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
