Link Centre Dictionary

patronage

pat·ro·nage

UK/ˈpeɪtɹənɪd͡ʒ/ US/ˈpætɹənɪd͡ʒ/ uncommon uk

noun

1.

the act of providing approval and support

  • “his vigorous backing of the conservatives got him in trouble with progressives”
2.

customers collectively

  • “they have an upper class clientele”
3.
4.

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

5.

the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers

  • “even before noon there was a considerable patronage”
Synonyms

verb

1.

support by being a patron of

2.

be a regular customer or client of

  • “We patronize this store”
  • “Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as long as he could”

Origin

From Middle English patronage, from Old French patronage (modern French patronage). Equivalent to patron + -age. Piecewise doublet of patternage.

Phrases

  • patronage system

Related words

Narrower terms

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.