proprietor

[ pruh-prahy-i-ter ]
See synonyms for proprietor on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the owner of a business establishment, a hotel, etc.

  2. a person who has the exclusive right or title to something; an owner, as of real property.

  1. a group of proprietors; proprietary.

Origin of proprietor

1
First recorded in 1630–40; propriet(ary) + -or2

Other words from proprietor

  • pro·pri·e·to·ri·al [pruh-prahy-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-], /prəˌpraɪ ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjective
  • pro·pri·e·to·ri·al·ly, adverb
  • pro·pri·e·tor·ship, noun
  • non·pro·pri·e·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use proprietor in a sentence

  • Instead, the most successful agents in the business are the proprietors of highly trafficked Instagram meme pages, like FuckJerry or GrapeJuiceBoys, who routinely take brand deals to create what can only be described as “sponsored memes.”

    Meet the professional memers | Luke Winkie | November 11, 2020 | Vox
  • Archers listeners are by far the most proprietorial of all soap-opera fans.

  • He spoke with a proprietorial air as one might of a household pet, pronouncing the name of his city Louie.

    The Rosie World | Parker Fillmore
  • She assumed a proprietorial air toward Jack Glover, which unaccountably annoyed Lydia.

    The Angel of Terror | Edgar Wallace
  • He cared for her not at all; he was sure she cared for him only in the proprietorial sense.

    Ladies and Gentlemen  | Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
  • "Mrs. Bassett," he said softly, lingering on the proprietorial term.

  • I asked the elder man whether I was injuring any one's proprietorial rights by making a fire with other people's wood.

British Dictionary definitions for proprietor

proprietor

/ (prəˈpraɪətə) /


noun
  1. an owner of an unincorporated business enterprise

  2. a person enjoying exclusive right of ownership to some property

  1. US history a governor or body of governors of a proprietary colony

Derived forms of proprietor

  • proprietorship, noun
  • proprietorial (prəˌpraɪəˈtɔːrɪəl), adjective
  • proprietress or proprietrix, fem n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012