landlord
Americannoun
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a person or organization that owns and leases apartments to others.
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a person who owns and leases land, buildings, etc.
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a person who owns or runs an inn, lodging house, etc.
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a landowner.
noun
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a man who owns and leases property
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a man who owns or runs a lodging house, pub, etc
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archaic the lord of an estate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of landlord
before 1000; Middle English; Old English landhlāford. See land, lord
Explanation
If you lease an apartment, the person to whom you pay rent is your landlord. A landlord owns a house, building, or property and rents it out to other people. Many people have landlords they call when their drains are clogged and mail their rent checks to on the first of each month. Business owners often have landlords too, who own their retail or office spaces. Men and women can both be landlords, although you can also call a female landlord a landlady. The concept of a landlord goes back to feudalism — the lord part comes from "Lord of the Manor."
Vocabulary lists containing landlord
Chinese History - Introductory
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Little Richard (1932–2020): Tribute List
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kolby Newton moved into a duplex with his girlfriend after their landlord raised the rent on their apartment downtown.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
“The landlord has an obligation to do right by you.”
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
In some cases, a landlord might be grateful and even eager for you to take on a paint job, as it could save them some money and effort down the road.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Rainbow Corner has been based in the same Orange hall since 1979, but has been told by its landlord it needs to leave by the end of June 2027.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
“It would turn a man’s blood to white wine winegar to hear him tell of it, sir,” said the landlord.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
