patronage
noun
pa·tron·age
ˈpa-trə-nij 
ˈpā-
ˈpā-
1
: advowson
2
: the support or influence of a patron
the patronage of science by universities
3
: kindness done with an air of superiority
The prince deigned to bestow his patronage on the composer.
4
: business or activity provided by patrons
the new branch library is expected to have a heavy patronage
5
a
: the power to make appointments to government jobs especially for political advantage
… oust his enemies from office and use the patronage to support his policies …—
H. K. Beale
H. K. Beale
b
: the distribution of jobs on the basis of patronage
The governor filled the vacated positions through patronage.
c
: jobs distributed by patronage
the government's vast network of patronage
Examples of patronage in a Sentence
The college relied on the patronage of its wealthy graduates to expand its funds.
They thanked her for her patronage of the new hospital.
The city should do more to encourage patronage of local businesses.
a system of political patronage
Recent Examples on the Web
Where Boss Daley extracted political patronage, the nascent boss of black Chicago began to demand economic patronage.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
In January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew had been stripped of his honorary military roles and royal patronages and that they had been returned to the Queen.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Nevertheless, the queen stripped her second son of military titles and patronages as the scandal around his ties with Jeffrey Epstein grew in 2022.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Kate has served as patron of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be since 2013—one of her first patronages after marrying into the royal family in 2011.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronage
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
In January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew had been stripped of his honorary military roles and royal patronages and that they had been returned to the Queen.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Nevertheless, the queen stripped her second son of military titles and patronages as the scandal around his ties with Jeffrey Epstein grew in 2022.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Kate has served as patron of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be since 2013—one of her first patronages after marrying into the royal family in 2011.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronage
Cite this Entry
“Patronage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patronage. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patronage
noun
pa·tron·age
ˈpa-trə-nij
ˈpā-
ˈpā-
1
: the support or influence of a patron
2
: business or activity provided by patrons
3
: the power to give out government jobs, contracts, or favors
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
