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sugar daddy

sugar daddy

16 7.4
An older rich man who gives money and gifts to a younger person for romantic or sexual attention
  • noun
  • /ˈʃʊɡər ˈdædi/
  • NSFW
translation icon : sugar daddy (coloquial)
  • Many young women move to the city looking for a sugar daddy to support their lifestyle.
  • sugar daddy relationships

I'm looking for a sugar daddy to pay my Boo.

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Examples

  • I'm old enough to be your sugar daddy.

  • I am so used to being treated by sugar daddies that the whole role reversal was refreshing.

  • It's not a competition, my sugar daddy is pretty high up in a company.

  • So you got you a little sugar daddy, huh?

  • How about one more kiss with your sugar daddy?

  • Danny Boy's found himself a nice, rich, smart sugar daddy.

  • Listen, I saw your sugar daddy down there at the tables.

  • Her small salary is paid by a sugar daddy, his first patron.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I think she just wanted a sugar daddy and didn't expect him to want anything in return.

    Blog text (6)
  • There are plenty of sugar daddies... who'd want to pay your rent.

Surface Forms

sugar daddy singular
sugar daddies plural

Morphology

sugar + daddy

The compound is partly compositional: 'sugar' evokes treats/gifts or money and 'daddy' denotes an older man, so a learner can plausibly guess it refers to an older man who provides sweet things or cash. However, the crucial pragmatic meaning — a transactional/romantic arrangement in exchange for companionship — is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so full understanding would usually require prior exposure.

Etymology

Sugar daddy may come from the image of an older man buying 'sweet' gifts for a younger partner. Think of sugar as gifts or money and daddy as an older man who supports someone, so the phrase means 'an older, rich man who gives money or gifts in return for company or a relationship'.