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
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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
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Recent Examples of patronage
Blame the palace March 22, 2024 The announcement of Catherine’s patronage was made Tuesday during her visit to the Royal Marsden’s hospital in Chelsea.
—
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Putin controls the military, police, and judiciary through patronage and fear.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Thus Trajan’s father enjoyed the patronage of the emperor Vespasian, an Italian, but also followed in the footsteps of prominent Spaniards like the philosopher and courtier Seneca.
—Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
One union that represents government workers bashed the mandate as returning to the patronage system that oversaw the federal workforce until the end of the 19th century.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for patronage 
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Putin controls the military, police, and judiciary through patronage and fear.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Thus Trajan’s father enjoyed the patronage of the emperor Vespasian, an Italian, but also followed in the footsteps of prominent Spaniards like the philosopher and courtier Seneca.
—Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
One union that represents government workers bashed the mandate as returning to the patronage system that oversaw the federal workforce until the end of the 19th century.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for patronage
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Cite this Entry
“Patronage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronage. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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