Noun
After college, her professor became her close friend and mentor.
He needed a mentor to teach him about the world of politics.
We volunteer as mentors to disadvantaged children.
young boys in need of mentorsVerb
The young intern was mentored by the country's top heart surgeon.
Our program focuses on mentoring teenagers.
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Noun
Steve Carell plays Randall Garrett, the group’s Peter Thiel-esque mentor who, not unlike the late Steve Jobs, has cancer that his doctor tells him is incurable.—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025 Here are just a few ideas that are at less risk of AI disruption, based on passion and skill profiles:
Communicative mentors, consider teaching
Many states offer teacher certification and residency programs that allow people to work as educators while completing their certification requirements.—Rebekah Bastian, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
Shaq’s primary role with Sacramento State will be assisting in recruiting, mentoring players (even from long distance via Zoom), and talking to student-athletes about life after basketball.—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 5 June 2025 His work includes expanding the reach of dental offices, implementing programs to train and empower local dental assistants, and mentoring young dentists to embrace the challenges and rewards of working in rural areas.—Jon Stojan, USA Today, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for mentor
Word History
Etymology
Noun
as name borrowed from Latin Mentōr, borrowed from Greek Méntōr; as generic noun borrowed from French mentor, after Mentor, character in the novel Les aventures de Télémaque (1699) by the French cleric and writer François Fénelon (1651-1715), based on characters in the Odyssey
Note:
In Fénelon's work Mentor is a principal character, and his speeches and advice to Telemachus during their travels constitute much of the book's substance.
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