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Definition
someone who helps a person or organization — especially financial help- Harvard College was established in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, John Harvard, a young minister who left his library and half his estate to the college.
- Don't you thank me, don't you give me no credit; it all belongs to them dear people in Pokeville camp-meeting, natural brothers and benefactors of the race, and that dear preacher there, the truest friend a pirate ever had!Mark Twain -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Was this his kind Mormon benefactor, this man with the awful eyes?Zane Grey -- The Heritage of the Desert
- When she could only guess, Denver followed her directions and went to say thank you anywaym whether she had the right benefactor or not.Toni Morrison -- Beloved
- "Indulge your benefactor a little bit longer," he responds, and runs a finger down the crease of his pant legs.Gillian Flynn -- Gone Girl
- He has no memory of how he arrived in New Jersey from Kenya, except that he has a benefactor, Eli Harris.Abraham Verghese -- Cutting for Stone
- He has tonight earned an eminent place in the roll of the benefactors of our town; and he is worthy of many imperishable songs.J.R.R. Tolkien -- The Hobbit
- What would be a reward suitable to a poor man who is your benefactor, and who desires leisure that he may instruct you?Plato -- The Apology
- Out on the road, he had no friends, no benefactors, and only the clothes on his back.Lisa See -- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- I am for you not only a protector, but a friend; not only a benefactor, but a father.Alexandre Dumas -- The Three Musketeers
- I felt ashamed to appear before my benefactors so clad.Charlotte Bronte -- Jane Eyre
- His endowments of this spot alone might at any time have placed him high among the benefactors of the convent.Jane Austen -- Northanger Abbey
- To reveal the identity of my benefactor would be to condemn someone to death at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran.Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter
- He had once been twenty-five minutes late for confession, upsetting his benefactor, and had no other excuse but the lack of an accurate timepiece.Robert Ludlum -- The Bourne Identity
- Would god no death so sad might come to benefactors dear as she!Homer -- The Odyssey
- The circumstance occasioned no alteration, however, in the behaviour of his benefactors.Charles Dickens -- Oliver Twist
- So we mean to cheat our benefactors, is that it?Alexs Pate -- Amistad
- He is one of the greatest of our public benefactors.George Bernard Shaw -- Major Barbara
- I am with the distinguished consideration which is due to the benefactors of humanity,— Jondrette.Victor Hugo -- Les Miserables
- "Come, be calm," said the druggist; "later on you will show your gratitude to your benefactor."Gustave Flaubert -- Madame Bovary
benefactors = people who help others