Added 9 October 2026
sponsor
/ˈspɒn.səː/ noun
Latin root: spōnsor Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sponsor at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or financial aspect.
He was my sponsor when I applied to join the club.
-
A senior member of a twelve step or similar program chosen to guide an initiate and form a partnership with them.
My narcotics anonymous sponsor became my best friend when I finally was able to do something about my meth problem.
-
A person or organization that pays all or part of the cost of an event, publication, media program, etc., usually in exchange for advertising.
And now a word from our sponsor.
verb
- To be a sponsor for.
Origin
Learned borrowing from Latin spōnsor (“a surety", in Late Latin "a sponsor in baptism”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)