stakeholder

American  

[stayk-hohl-der] / ˈsteɪkˌhoʊl dər /

noun

• stakeholders
  plural

1. the holder of the stakes of a wager.

2. a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry.

3. Law. a person holding money or property to which two or more persons make rival claims.

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stakeholder British  

/ ˈsteɪkˌhəʊldə /

noun

1. a person or group owning a significant percentage of a company's shares

2. 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

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adjective

1. of or relating to policies intended to allow people to participate in and benefit from decisions made by enterprises in which they have a stake

   a stakeholder economy

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stakeholders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of stakeholder

First recorded in 1700–10; stake ² + holder

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stakeholder stakeholders

The ports are currently awaiting stakeholder feedback, Hacegaba said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

At Wednesday’s hearing, Dwayne Jones, LA28’s senior vice president for the Cultural Olympiad and stakeholder events, did not disclose a precise cultural budget or how much funding had been secured.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The partnership was terminated last month, with the companies citing “prevailing market conditions, and shifting business and stakeholder priorities.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Uefa will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss its response to the controversial World Cup stakeholder plans proposed by Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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

Museum officials, firm leaders and local stakeholders have continually communicated that the gardens would feature “indigenous” or “native” plants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

"These options will now be objectively evaluated, with a view to minimising uncertainty for Poundland's people and all relevant stakeholders."

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

These moves are troubling unions, consumer groups and other stakeholders, and opening a new front in the battle over how artificial intelligence raises privacy threats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Wave Neuroscience and Texas A&M Health are working with other stakeholders to expand availability and make the therapy more affordable through insurance coverage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

The invisible hand must be firmly clasped and guided by functioning and impartial institutions, an ingrained culture of entrepreneurship and fair play, classes of stakeholders, checks and balances and good governance on all levels.

From The Belgian Curtain Europe after Communism by Samuel Vaknin

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Related Words

• shareholder

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