Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
godparent

godparent

11 2.9
A person who promises at a child's baptism to help their religious faith and support them
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑːdˌpɛr.ənt/
translation icon : padrino
  • I was honored when my best friend asked me to be the godparent of his newborn daughter.
  • godparent to his godchild
  • godparent at baptism
  • godparents for their children

He says, I want to be godparent to my son.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • We're both honored to be godparents.

    Horizon (2019)

  • And when Dave and Linda's son Darryl was born, they asked us to be his godparents.

    Election (1999)

  • In modern Italy, the godparent is more a friend than a parent.

    Academic text (1995)

  • I now invite the godparents to come forward.

    Everything Put Together (2001)

  • Would you be our baby's godparents?

    Laggies (2014)

  • In fact, the AG and his wife are her godparents.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Baptismal records indicate that some Irish asked family members to be godparents for their children.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Congratulations on the baby's new godparents, Jason and Shadia.

    Dirty Grandpa (2016)

  • The Hispanic family includes close friends and children's godparents, who traditionally share social support privileges and family responsibilities.

    Academic text (1990)

  • John Menlo and Kara Orkin were selected as the boy's godparents.

    The Cathedral (2022)

Surface Forms

godparent singular
godparents plural

Morphology

godparent = god + parent (semi-transparent) = god + parent

Both components are clear words, but 'parent' is used in a ceremonial/non-biological sense (sponsor at baptism), so the exact role is not fully deducible from the parts alone.

Etymology

The word godparent is made of god and parent, and it originally meant a 'parent' chosen in the sight of god at a child's baptism. So a godparent is like a 'spiritual parent' who promises to help and guide a child's religious life.