English Reference
Verb

patronize

v.
C1 Advanced US /ˈpætɹəˌnaɪz/ pa·tron·ize UK spelling patronise, patronized, patronizes

v.to visit a business or shop regularly to support it. It can also mean to treat someone in a way that shows you think they are less important than you are.

v.to frequent a commercial establishment as a regular customer; alternatively, to treat someone with condescending or superior indifference. Often carries a negative nuance when describing social interactions.


SIMPLE

I try to patronize local businesses instead of big chains.

CONTEXTUAL

The local bakery thrives because the neighborhood residents choose to patronize it rather than the national supermarket.

COMPLEX

While the wealthy elite often patronize the arts, their condescending attitude toward the working class can sometimes undermine the very cultural institutions they claim to support.

The shop sits 25 minutes from the US-Canada border and since the "war" ensued Seevers said her business received emails from Canadian customers saying they could not patronise her business "due to anti-Canadian rhetoric".

BBC News· 24 Aug 2026

From patron + -ize (verb ending); or from Old French patroniser, from Medieval Latin patronizāre (“to lead a galley as patron”). Piecewise doublet of patternize.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-med patronizāre
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated