1
as in sponsorship
the financial support and general guidance for an undertaking
a symphony orchestra that had long relied upon the patronage of the city's moneyed old guard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in business
transactions or economic support provided by customers
he refuses to give his patronage to any corporation that is not socially conscious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of patronage
For more than a century, Americans have taken pride in a professional civil service insulated from raw political patronage.
—
James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Billions of dollars that could have gone toward infrastructure, education, and public services have instead been diverted into inflated contracts, legal settlements, patronage networks, and crisis management.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Princess Anne has been a reliable senior royal for many years, earning a reputation as the family's hardest-working royal, taking on patronages, royal tours, investiture ceremonies and more.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The partnership marks the first time M+’s moving-image initiatives will be made available to a worldwide streaming audience, a step that both deepens Chanel’s cultural-patronage footprint in Asia and expands Mubi’s curatorial ambitions across the region, the partners say.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronage
James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Billions of dollars that could have gone toward infrastructure, education, and public services have instead been diverted into inflated contracts, legal settlements, patronage networks, and crisis management.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Princess Anne has been a reliable senior royal for many years, earning a reputation as the family's hardest-working royal, taking on patronages, royal tours, investiture ceremonies and more.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The partnership marks the first time M+’s moving-image initiatives will be made available to a worldwide streaming audience, a step that both deepens Chanel’s cultural-patronage footprint in Asia and expands Mubi’s curatorial ambitions across the region, the partners say.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patronage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronage
Noun
-
BirdStock is made possible through contributions and sponsorships, with proceeds going to the Bird Rock Foundation, which supports Bird Rock Elementary School, and future BirdStock festivals.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The company’s Dance Reflections festival sprawled across the city’s theatres for months, evidence of a level of sponsorship and sparkle rarely seen in the field.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Morgan, Dave Canales and Brandt Tilis have a history of locking up homegrown players who handle their business on and off the field.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Lewis promised to help modernize the paper’s business.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The style also has a ripstop upper with gradient underlays, Kith branding on the footbed and heel, and custom mountain artwork on the tongue.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The space’s custom art was created by Amazonian artist Winny Tapajós, portraying a mischievous garden scene full of whimsical characters.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patronage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronage. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
