parrainer

to sponsor, to be a patron of

verb pah-reh-NEH Rare

Also means

to be a godparent to

Usage Note

Parrainer covers both formal sponsorship (a company parraine an event) and the social act of vouching for someone applying to join a club or institution. The related noun parrain means godfather or sponsor, and marraine is the feminine equivalent. It should not be confused with patronner, which is more archaic.

Examples

"Une grande entreprise a accepté de parrainer le festival."

Natural Translation

A large company agreed to sponsor the festival.

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