Meaning & use
patron
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Meanings
nouncountable
Someone who supports an artist, charity, or cause by giving money or influence.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a patron of the arts.
Patterns
- a patron of something
She was a generous patron of young painters in the city.
The hospital depends on a wealthy patron to fund new equipment.
The prince agreed to become patron of the youth orchestra.
nouncountableformal
A person who regularly uses a shop, restaurant, library, or similar business as a customer.
Grammar: Slightly formal; businesses use it instead of customer: patrons are asked to be quiet.
Patterns
- a patron of somewhere
The cafe thanked its loyal patrons with a free coffee day.
Library patrons may borrow up to ten books at a time.
A few patrons were still chatting at the bar when we left.
Word forms
| plural | patrons |
|---|
Common combinations
- a generous patron
- A generous patron paid for the museum's new wing.
- patron of the arts
- He became a patron of the arts after selling his company.
- loyal patron
- The owner knows every loyal patron by name.
- regular patron
- Regular patrons get the best tables.
- patron saint
- Saint George is the patron saint of England.
- wealthy patron
- A wealthy patron kept the poet fed while he wrote.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sponsor
- A sponsor usually pays for something in return for publicity, while a patron often gives out of admiration or loyalty.
- benefactor
- A benefactor is anyone who gives generously, but a patron implies an ongoing relationship with an artist or cause.
- customer
- Customer is the ordinary word for someone who buys, while patron sounds more formal or polite.
- supporter
- Supporter is broader and need not involve money or status, which a patron usually has.
Opposites
Word family
- patronage noun
- support given by a patron, or custom given to a business
- patronize verb
- to be a regular customer, or to treat someone as inferior
- patroness noun
- an old-fashioned word for a female patron
- patronizing adjective
- speaking down to people
Commonly confused: patron or patent? patron or pattern?
patron vs patent
A patent is a legal right to an invention, not a person who supports something.
patron vs pattern
A pattern is a repeated design or regular arrangement; it only looks similar to patron on the page.
Practice
The orchestra survived the financial crisis because a wealthy ___ covered its costs for two years.
Choose one answer.
A patron is a person who funds an arts group. Patent, pattern and patrol are similar-looking words but cannot cover costs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “patron”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.