stakeholder
Americannoun
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a person or group owning a significant percentage of a company's shares
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a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having an interest in its operations, such as the employees, customers, local community, etc
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stakeholder
Explanation
A stakeholder is a person interested in a company. If you become CEO of a big company, you'll have to keep the interests of every stakeholder in mind, from the employees to the customers to the investors, whenever you make decisions. Supposedly people used to gamble by putting their money on a wooden stake, and a person called a stakeholder who wasn't involved in the betting would supervise to make sure everything was fair. No one uses wooden stakes anymore, but we still call the person who holds the money and monitors the betting the stakeholder, and people often use stake to mean "risk," or "investment." That's why someone who is invested in a business is also called a stakeholder.
Vocabulary lists containing stakeholder
Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms, Unit 5
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Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 4-7
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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.
See Examples For:
"There will be stakeholder consultations before any final decision is taken."
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The job requires “not only operational and strategic capability but also strong stakeholder management amid heightened geopolitical dynamics,” the bank says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Attorneys representing Purdue, the Sackler family and other stakeholder groups, including victims, began months of confidential mediations.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
A spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said the draft regulations, which under state law were supposed to be implemented by Jan. 1, 2026, are being revised after “valued stakeholder feedback” it received.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Social capital usually means emotional support and encouragement from a reliable stakeholder in one’s life, an asset commonly associated with marriage that is itself a form of wealth.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Analyst Michaels says no international stakeholders have been "duped" by Myanmar's electoral process.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ransom’s employees got PlanForce shares, becoming stakeholders in the company.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The company said the proposal was the best way for the London-based real-estate investment trust to maximize long-term value for its shareholders and wider stakeholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It said it worked "closely and constructively with Glasgow City Council and key stakeholders" to fit within the planning framework.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
These heaps represented great wealth to the Iroquois, and the older chiefs sat beside them in the capacity of stakeholders and judges.
From The Scouts of the Valley by Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
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.
