sponsor

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A company or person that pays for an event, team, or program, often to gain publicity.

   Grammar: Countable: the main sponsor.

   Patterns

   • a sponsor of something

   A local bank is the main sponsor of the marathon.

   The team lost its sponsor after the scandal.

   The show thanked its sponsors at the end.

2. 2nouncountable

   A person who supports someone, such as a lawmaker who introduces a bill or a person who vouches for another.

   Grammar: Countable: the bill's sponsor.

   Patterns

   • sponsor of something

   The senator was the sponsor of the bill.

   She needed a sponsor to apply for the visa.

3. 3verbtransitive

   To pay for or support a person, event, or activity, often in return for publicity.

   Grammar: Takes an object: sponsor a team.

   Patterns

   • sponsor someone
   • sponsor something

   A software firm agreed to sponsor the tournament.

   He sponsors a child in another country.

   The charity run is sponsored by a local gym.

Word forms

Common combinations

corporate sponsor

The festival found a corporate sponsor.

main sponsor

The main sponsor's logo covers the shirts.

sponsor an event

The shop sponsors the town fair.

sponsored by

This program is sponsored by a software company.

Synonyms and how they differ

backer

Backer is general and may mean a financial supporter with no publicity involved.

patron

Patron suggests personal support, often of the arts, rather than a business deal.

donor

A donor gives without necessarily receiving publicity in return.

Word family

sponsorship noun

the support or the deal itself

sponsored adjective

paid for by a sponsor

Practice

Make it your own

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

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