godfather
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
gahdfahtherSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
figurative
Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
Christianity
Any man who serves as a sponsor for a child at baptism
christianity
A man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a male godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.
crime
A mafia leader.
A small post which is used in repairing a fence. For instance attached to and supporting an existing broken fence post.
verb
transitiveoften figuratively
To act as godfather or guardian to.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.