stakeholder

American  

[steyk-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

Etymology

Origin of stakeholder

First recorded in 1700–10; stake ² + holder

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

“When you’re talking about BC2BC, you have a wonderfully strong foundation because of the investment and planning and stakeholder engagement within California that acts like a tethering,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The for-profit arm is now a Delaware public-benefit corporation, a for-profit company whose directors can balance profit, stakeholder interests, and a specified public mission—as they see fit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Alongside scientific analysis, the project will produce policy briefings and bring together regulators, environmental organisations and policymakers through a dedicated stakeholder workshop hosted at UEL's Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 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

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

"As an MEP, it's perfectly normal to speak to all stakeholders, whether businesses, trade unions or NGOs. What matters is transparency and ensuring those consultations remain balanced before decisions are taken," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Together, these actions will help build a stronger, more competitive JLR for all our stakeholders."

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Listening to investors: CEOs also work with external stakeholders, of course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

An ICE spokesperson did not respond to questions but said the agency consulted with a variety of stakeholders, including facility operators, while revising its standards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 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 Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler

Related Words

• shareholder