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
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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
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has been sponsoringperfect progressive
Past
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sponsoredsimple
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had sponsoredperfect
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was sponsoringprogressive
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were sponsoringprogressive
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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:
At other CD&R-owned companies, creditors are now seeking leverage against a sponsor that once had little trouble winning flexible lending terms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Clippers contend they did nothing different than numerous other teams across the sports landscape do by introducing a player to a potential sponsor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Judie Mancuso, the founder of Social Compassion in Legislation, the bill’s sponsor, called the outcome “ludicrous.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Everton made league history when Hafnia, a Danish tinned meat company, was the first sponsor to appear on a shirt, followed days later by Liverpool, who had signed up with Japanese electronics firm Hitachi.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
They say a sponsor can be a person, a group of people, an organization, or a church group who will take responsibility to help us settle in our new home in America.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Lenders, meanwhile, have reacted by signing onto cooperation agreements early, sometimes years before debt matures, to negotiate more aggressively with sponsors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Disclosure: Baylor University and Fox News have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Other gambling deals have been replaced by sponsors from the fields of insurance, tourism and recruitment.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Four Premier League clubs will have tech sponsors this season, with Ipswich and Manchester United alongside Palace and Fulham.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
And in my case -being one of the star-crossed lovers from District 12 -it's an absolute requirement if I want any more help from sympathetic sponsors.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
“Ultimately, you know, go to a place where you’re wanted,” Delrahim said at a conference sponsored by Politico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Amazon also handed out grants to local nonprofits and sponsored the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, Bozzo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On occasion, they’ve even had to share that unwelcome news with friends who sponsored the plants’ purchases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The government had sponsored literacy classes for all women.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Some companies may have also remained on the register because they were approved before July 2025 or are sponsoring workers who were already in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
There could be a ban on unlicensed casinos from sponsoring sports teams, too, with Burnham a long-time critic of the negative effects of gambling.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The U.S. recently sanctioned Rwanda’s military and several senior officers for sponsoring a different insurgent group, called M23, that has seized large chunks of eastern Congo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The Pocahontas Industrial Council for Education was the sponsoring organization, a committee created by the businesses in Welch and some of the larger coal mines.
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.
