patronesses

noun

plural of patroness
as in benefactors

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for patronesses
  1. benefactors
  2. donors
  3. patrons
  4. philanthropists
Noun
  • Democratic divide As Republican donors open their wallets, some of Democrats’ biggest benefactors are missing from the DNC’s donor rolls.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Harvard and its peer institutions won’t suddenly stop caring about their largest benefactors.
    — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of benefactors
Noun
  • In April, the Dells became the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime giving to the University of Texas at Austin.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Because there have basically not been any other Republicans who have excited donors for a decade.
    — Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of donors
Noun
  • Dorothy recalls patrons hanging around the shop for hours, running her hands along a rainbow of silk ties, and picking up tailor pins with her cousins to pass the time.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout dinner, we’re interrupted by patrons ranging from Bessent—who stops by and offers a warm greeting—to a number of people who arrive in succession and appear to be gushing fans of the anchor, though Baier recognizes all of them by name.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of patrons
Noun
  • So as this third wave of philanthropy comes to shore, let’s rally around these new philanthropists.
    — Melissa Stevens, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • At the suggestion of local philanthropists Mark and Robin Seigle, members were planning to donate any funding left beyond the above to create an arts scholarship at ECC in memory of Jones and Hamilton Wings.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of philanthropists
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.

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patroness
patronesses
patronize
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Cite this Entry

“Patronesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patronesses. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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