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
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:
Those direct jobs represent families, the retail they patronize and the communities who have more tax revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Who would patronize these houses of financial ill-repute?
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
There’s a subsection of A-Listers in L.A. — true film nerds — who attend AMC showings frequently but also patronize local independent theaters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
I’ve been thinking about the nightclubs our community used to frequent and the ones we patronize now.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025
I thought, Already he’s starting to patronize me.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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
She said the East was largely misunderstood by West Germans — belittled, patronized and often ignored.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
Yet Uganda’s collecting class remains minuscule, with new shows patronized by hip youngsters and expatriates.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
The last theater I patronized regularly was the Candlelight Pavillion Dinner Theater for both its delightful musical theater and summer midweek tribute bands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
“I hate to be patronized, and the Chesters think it’s a great favor to allow us to help with their highly connected fair. I wonder you consented, Amy, they only want you to work.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Travel is great, and I love patronizing restaurants opened by immigrant chefs who send enticing smells and savory dishes out of their kitchens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
What were they doing to develop “anti-smog muffler devices”? A month later, Hahn got back the first of many testy, patronizing responses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
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
He was sure they would be more smug and patronizing than ever.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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.
