Meaning & use
mentor
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Meanings
nouncountable
An experienced person who advises and guides a less experienced person.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural: a mentor, two mentors.
Patterns
- a mentor to someone
- act as a mentor
- have a mentor
She became a mentor to many young scientists.
He credits his success to his mentor in college.
The program pairs each student with a mentor.
verbtransitive
To advise or guide a less experienced person over a period of time.
Grammar: Takes an object: mentor a student.
Patterns
- mentor someone
- mentor someone in something
She mentors new graduates at the company.
He has mentored dozens of young athletes.
Word forms
| plural | mentors |
|---|---|
| third person singular | mentors |
| past tense | mentored |
| past participle | mentored |
| -ing form | mentoring |
Common combinations
- a mentor to someone
- She was a mentor to me during my first year.
- act as a mentor
- He agreed to act as a mentor for the new interns.
- mentor program
- The company launched a mentor program for junior staff.
- mentor and mentee
- The mentor and mentee meet weekly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- advisor
- Gives advice, often officially; a mentor usually has a longer, more personal relationship.
- coach
- Focuses on improving specific skills or performance; a mentor gives broader life or career guidance.
- guide
- Helps someone find their way, often in a new situation; a mentor is more experienced and gives ongoing support.
Word family
- mentorship noun
- The guidance given by a mentor.
- mentoring noun
- The activity of acting as a mentor.
- mentee noun
- A person who is guided by a mentor.
Commonly confused: mentor or mentor?
mentor vs mentor
Sometimes confused with 'mentee', which means the person being mentored, not the advisor.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The common preposition after 'mentor' when describing the person guided is 'to': a mentor to someone. 'For' and 'of' are less idiomatic in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mentor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.