From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpatronizepat‧ron‧ize (also patronise British English) /ˈpætrənaɪz $ ˈpeɪ-, ˈpæ-/ verb [transitive] 1 TALK TO somebodyto talk to someone in a way which seems friendly but shows that you think they are not as intelligent or do not know as much as you Don’t patronize me! The program focuses on kids’ interests without patronizing them.2 formalDB to use or visit a shop, restaurant etc3 SUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLANto support or give money to an organization or activity→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
patronize• It's nice to work without being patronized.• East Berliners feel they are patronized and their western cousins complain they are stuck with the bills for reunification.• Kid's don't like to be patronized any more than adults do.• It's a charming little restaurant which is mostly patronized by locals.• She's almost 90, but she gets very annoyed with anyone who tries to patronize her.• Just because you're older than me, it doesn't give you the right to patronize me.• We thus had a perfect relationship: each of us felt that he could patronize the other.• We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taking form so far below ourselves.From Longman Business Dictionarypatronizepat‧ron‧ize /ˈpætrənaɪzˈpeɪ-, ˈpæ-/ (also patronise British English) verb [transitive]1American EnglishCOMMERCE to use or visit a particular shop, restaurant, hotel etcMany homosexuals patronize gay-owned companies simply because they feel more comfortable there.2to speak to someone in a way that suggests that they are not as intelligent as youThe agency has a reputation for patronizing clients who don’t agree with its creative ideas.3to support or give money to an organization or activityThe State patronizes the arts by designating ten thousand Kuwaiti Dinars annually for the selection and purchase of paintings by Kuwaiti artists. —patronizing (also patronising British English) adjectiveIt’s patronizing not to expect women to fulfill a contract just because they have childcare responsibilities.→ See Verb table 