goddaughter

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A girl or woman whom someone promised at her baptism to help guide and support, as her godparent.

   Grammar: Used with a possessive: my goddaughter.

   Patterns

   • someone's goddaughter

   I bought my goddaughter a book for her birthday.

   She was asked to be a godmother to her friend's baby and became a proud goddaughter-keeper.

   Their goddaughter is coming to stay for the summer.

Word forms

Common combinations

my goddaughter

My goddaughter turns ten next week.

become a goddaughter

The girl became his goddaughter at the christening.

spoil a goddaughter

Uncle Ray loves to spoil his goddaughter.

goddaughter's christening

We went to my goddaughter's christening on Sunday.

Synonyms and how they differ

godchild

Godchild covers both girls and boys, while goddaughter is specific to a girl.

niece

A niece is related by blood or marriage, whereas a goddaughter is linked by a religious or ceremonial promise.

ward

A ward is a child under legal guardianship, which is a formal arrangement unlike a goddaughter.

Word family

godson noun

a boy for whom someone is godparent

godchild noun

any child with a godparent

godmother noun

a woman who is a child's godparent

godparent noun

a person who sponsors a child at baptism

Commonly confused: goddaughter or stepdaughter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “goddaughter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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