sponsor

See also: Sponsor

English

Etymology

From Latin sponsor (“a surety", in Late Latin "a sponsor in baptism”), from sponsus, past participle of spondeō.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈspɒn.sə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈspɑn.sɚ/

Noun

sponsor (plural sponsors)

1. A person or organisation with some sort of responsibility for another person or organisation, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or financial aspect.

   Hyponyms: godparent, (obsolete) gossip

   He was my sponsor when I applied to join the club.

   They were my sponsors for immigration.

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it. […] But there was not a more lascivious reprobate and gourmand in all London than this same Greystone.

   1. A senior member of a twelve step or similar program assigned to a guide a new initiate and form a partnership with him.

      My narcotics anonymous sponsor became my best friend when I finally was able to do something about my meth problem.

      • 2011, Roy F. Baumeister, John Tierney, Willpower, →ISBN, page 173:

        Members also choose a sponsor, with whom they are supposed to remain in regular, even daily, contact—and that, too, is a powerful boost for monitoring.

2. One that pays all or part of the cost of an event, a publication, or a media program, usually in exchange for advertising time.

   Synonyms: patron, underwriter

   And now a word from our sponsor.

Translations

person or organisation with responsibility (especially with a religious or financial aspect)

• Belarusian: паручы́цель m (paručýcjelʹ), паручы́целька f (paručýcjelʹka)
• Bulgarian: поръчи́тел (bg) m (porǎčítel), поръчи́телка f (porǎčítelka), попечител (bg) m (popečitel)
• Catalan: patrocinador (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 保證人 / 保证人 (zh) (bǎozhèngrén)

• Czech: sponzor (cs) m, sponzorka f
• Dutch: sponsor (nl) m
• Esperanto: patrono (eo)
• Finnish: tukija (fi), tukihenkilö (fi)
• French: commanditaire (fr) m, sponsor (fr) m
• Galician: patrocinador m, patrocinadora f
• German: Sponsor (de) m, Sponsorin (de) f
• Greek: χορηγός (el) m or f (chorigós), ανάδοχος (el) m or f (anádochos)
• Indonesian: sponsor (id)
• Irish: urraitheoir m
• Macedonian: покровител m (pokrovitel), покровителка f (pokrovitelka)
• Manx: barrantagh m
• Maori: kaitautoko
• Polish: sponsor (pl) m, sponsorka (pl) f
• Portuguese: patrocinador (pt) m
• Russian: поручи́тель (ru) m (poručítelʹ), поручи́тельница (ru) f (poručítelʹnica), покрови́тель (ru) m (pokrovítelʹ), покрови́тельница (ru) f (pokrovítelʹnica)
• Scottish Gaelic: sponsair m, goistidh m (godfather), bana-ghoistidh m (godmother)
• Spanish: patrocinador m, patrocinadora (es) f
• Swahili: mfadhili (sw)
• Swedish: fadder (sv) c, gudmor (sv) c, gudfar (sv) c
• Ukrainian: поручи́тель m (poručýtelʹ), поручи́телька f (poručýtelʹka)
• Volapük: (♂+♀) spönan (vo), (♂) hispönan, (♀) jispönan
• Welsh: noddwr (cy) m

one that pays all or part of the cost of an event

• Belarusian: спо́нсар m (spónsar), спо́нсарка f (spónsarka)
• Bulgarian: спо́нсор m (spónsor), спо́нсорка f (spónsorka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 贊助者 / 赞助者 (zànzhùzhě)

• Czech: sponzor (cs) m, sponzorka f
• Finnish: sponsori (fi), rahoittaja (fi), tukija (fi)
• French: sponsor (fr) m, commanditaire (fr) m (Canada)
• Georgian: სპონსორი (sṗonsori), დამფინანსებელი (dampinansebeli), ფინანსური მხარდამჭერი (pinansuri mxardamč̣eri)
• German: Sponsor (de) m, Sponsorin (de) f
• Greek: χορηγός (el) m (chorigós)
• Italian: sponsor (it) m
• Japanese: スポンサー (suponsā)
• Kazakh: демеуші (demeuşı)
• Korean: 스폰서 (seuponseo)
• Macedonian: спонзор m (sponzor), спонзорка f (sponzorka)
• Malay: penganjur
• Norman: sponseur m, spons'rêsse f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sponsor (no) m

  Nynorsk: sponsor m

• Polish: mecenas (pl) m, mecenaska f, sponsor (pl) m, sponsorka (pl) f
• Portuguese: patrocinador (pt) m
• Russian: спо́нсор (ru) m (spónsor), мецена́т (ru) m (mecenát)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: спо̏нзор m, спонзорка f

  Roman: spȍnzor (sh) m, sponzorka f

• Slovak: sponzor m, sponzorka f
• Slovene: sponzor m, sponzorka f
• Spanish: patrocinador m, auspiciador m, mecenas (es) m or f, sponsor m or f, propiciador (es) m
• Swahili: mfadhili (sw)
• Swedish: sponsor (sv) c
• Ukrainian: спо́нсор m (spónsor), спо́нсорка f (spónsorka)

Verb

sponsor (third-person singular simple present sponsors, present participle sponsoring, simple past and past participle sponsored)

1. (transitive) To be a sponsor for.
   • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:

     Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.

Derived terms

• cosponsor
• sponsor-free
• sponsorial
• sponsorship

Translations

to be a sponsor for

• Bulgarian: спонсорирам (sponsoriram)
• Czech: sponzorovat (cs)
• Dutch: sponsoren (nl)
• Esperanto: patroni
• Finnish: sponsoroida (fi)
• French: (with respect to money) commanditer (fr), sponsoriser (fr), financer (fr), parrainer (fr), patronner (fr)
• Galician: patrocinar
• German: sponsern (de)
• Greek: επιχορηγώ (el) (epichorigó)
• Ido: sponsorar
• Irish: urraigh
• Malay: menganjurkan
• Maori: tautoko (mi)
• Polish: sponsorować (pl) impf, zasponsorować pf
• Portuguese: patrocinar (pt)
• Romanian: sponsoriza (ro)
• Russian: спонси́ровать (ru) impf or pf (sponsírovatʹ), финанси́ровать (ru) impf or pf (finansírovatʹ), профинанси́ровать (ru) pf (profinansírovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sponsairich
• Spanish: patrocinar (es), auspiciar (es), esponsorizar, propiciar (es)
• Swedish: sponsra (sv)
• Welsh: noddi (cy)

See also

• patron

Further reading

• “sponsor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sponsor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Sproson

Danish

Etymology

From English sponsor.

Noun

sponsor c (singular definite sponsoren, plural indefinite sponsorer)

1. sponsor

Declension

Declension of sponsor

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	sponsor	sponsoren	sponsorer	sponsorerne
genitive	sponsors	sponsorens	sponsorers	sponsorernes

Further reading

• “sponsor” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sponsor m or f (plural sponsors or sponsoren, diminutive sponsortje n)

1. sponsor

   Synonym: financierder

Related terms

• sponsoren

 

Descendants

• → Sranan Tongo: sponser
  • → Caribbean Javanese: sponsor

Verb

sponsor

1. inflection of sponsoren:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor, from Latin spōnsor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɔ̃.sɔʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sponsor m (plural sponsors)

1. sponsor offering financial support in sports, arts or cultural actions in exchange for notoriety

   Pour mieux trouver le commettant, ou le « sponsor » qui financera les travaux, le chercheur définit un programme, chiffré en temps et en argent. (L'Expansion, févr. 1972, p. 30, col. 2)

2. (Middle East business) sponsor cashing on foreign investors

   Vous voulez faire des affaires au Koweit ? Il faut d'abord trouver un sponsor, koweitien, savoir qu'il vous prendra un honnête pourcentage (13 à 15 %) mais refusera d'endosser le moindre risque et disparaîtra au premier accrochage. (Le Nouvel Observateur, 4 févr. 1974, p. 29, col. 2)

Synonyms

• (patron): commanditaire, mécène, parrain
• (Middle East business): caution, garant, répondant

Derived terms

• sponsorisation
• sponsoriser

References

• “sponsor”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Further reading

• “sponsor”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɔn.sɔr/
• Rhymes: -sɔr
• Hyphenation: spon‧sor

Noun

sponsor (plural sponsor-sponsor)

1. sponsor:
   1. a person or organisation with some sort of responsibility for another person or organisation, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or financial aspect.
   2. one that pays all or part of the cost of an event, a publication, or a media program, usually in exchange for advertising time.
2. sponsorship:
   1. the state or practice of being a sponsor.
   2. the aid or support provided by a sponsor; backing or patronage.

Synonyms

• (sponsorship (aid, support)): tajaan (Standard Malay)
• (sponsorship (process)): penajaan (Standard Malay)

Derived terms

• bersponsor
• disponsori
• mensponsori
• pensponsoran
• sponsor-sponsoran

 

Further reading

• “sponsor” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɔn.sor/
• Rhymes: -ɔnsor
• Hyphenation: spòn‧sor

Noun

sponsor m (invariable)

1. sponsor (commercial)

Latin

Etymology

From spondeō (“to promise”) +‎ -tor.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈspon.sor/, [ˈs̠põːs̠ɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈspon.sor/, [ˈspɔnsor]

Noun

spōnsor m (genitive spōnsōris); third declension

1. a bondsman, surety

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	spōnsor	spōnsōrēs
genitive	spōnsōris	spōnsōrum
dative	spōnsōrī	spōnsōribus
accusative	spōnsōrem	spōnsōrēs
ablative	spōnsōre	spōnsōribus
vocative	spōnsor	spōnsōrēs

Derived terms

• cōnspōnsor

References

• “sponsor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sponsor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• sponsor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be security for some one: sponsionem facere, sponsorem esse pro aliquo
    
• “sponsor”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Noun

sponsor m (definite singular sponsoren, indefinite plural sponsorer, definite plural sponsorene)

1. a sponsor

Related terms

• sponse

References

• “sponsor” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Noun

sponsor m (definite singular sponsoren, indefinite plural sponsorar, definite plural sponsorane)

1. a sponsor

Related terms

• sponse

References

• “sponsor” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor, from Latin spōnsor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɔn.sɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔnsɔr
• Syllabification: spon‧sor

Noun

sponsor m pers (female equivalent sponsorka, related adjective sponsorski)

1. sponsor, patron, backer (person or organisation with responsibility (especially with a religious or financial aspect))

   Synonym: fundator

2. (colloquial) sponsor (one that pays all or part of the cost of an event)

Declension

Declension of sponsor

	singular	plural
nominative	sponsor	sponsorzy/sponsory (deprecative)
genitive	sponsora	sponsorów
dative	sponsorowi	sponsorom
accusative	sponsora	sponsorów
instrumental	sponsorem	sponsorami
locative	sponsorze	sponsorach
vocative	sponsorze	sponsorzy

Derived terms

verbs

• sponsorować impf
• zasponsorować pf

 

Related terms

adjective

• sponsoringowy

 

nouns

• sponsorat
• sponsoring

 

Further reading

• sponsor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• sponsor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sponsor m (plural sponsori)

1. sponsor

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	sponsor	sponsorul		sponsori	sponsorii
genitive-dative	sponsor	sponsorului		sponsori	sponsorilor
vocative	sponsorule			sponsorilor

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English sponsor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈponsoɾ/ [esˈpõn.soɾ]
• Rhymes: -onsoɾ

Noun

sponsor m (plural sponsores)

1. sponsor

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “sponsor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English sponsor.

Noun

sponsor c

1. a sponsor

Declension

Declension of sponsor

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	sponsor	sponsors
	definite	sponsorn	sponsorns
plural	indefinite	sponsorer	sponsorers
	definite	sponsorerna	sponsorernas

Related terms

• sponsra
• sponsring