proprietor

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-ter] / prəˈpraɪ ɪ tər /

noun

• proprietors
  plural

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.

3. a group of proprietors; proprietary.

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proprietor British  

/ prəˈpraɪətə /

noun

1. an owner of an unincorporated business enterprise

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

3. history a governor or body of governors of a proprietary colony

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonproprietor
  noun
• proprietorship
  noun
• proprietress
  noun
• proprietorial
  adjective
• proprietorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• proprietors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of proprietor

First recorded in 1630–40; propriet(ary) + -or ²

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Explanation

Someone who owns a business or a property is a proprietor. A bookstore proprietor might wish she became a librarian instead so the books would come back. The first part of proprietor sounds a lot like "property," and a proprietor is someone with ownership of property. Sometimes a proprietor oversees the business, such as a restaurant proprietor who is also a chef or hostess, and other times a proprietor owns many businesses and has different people running them. A proprietor of a local bakery might make and sell his own donuts, while the proprietor of a chain of donut shops might work from an office managing the people who manage the stores.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proprietor proprietors

The restaurant's proprietor Ricky McMenemy, who has worked there for 35 years, will become a commercial tenant of the conservation charity.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

“It’s the same as the ingredients that built the Israelis,” said Eyal Shani, the Israeli chef and Miznon’s proprietor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

A sole proprietor earning $60,000, for example, may be able to contribute as both employee and employer, plus make an age 50 catch-up contribution.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

"We are suffering a lot," said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home.

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

Geyer showed his photographs to the hotel’s proprietor, a Mrs. Rodius, who recognized Holmes and Yoke but not the children.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Next spring, Black Ankle’s proprietors will debut Live Edge Vineyards, a new winery in Clarksburg, not far from Burnt Hill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Bucket shop patrons were positioned heavily for Amalgamated to rise, so the proprietors shorted the stock “to establish as low a quotation as possible,” the Journal wrote.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

This should lead to, among other thing, higher after-tax earnings for sole proprietors and small firms; stronger loan demand for community banks; and better exit economics for early stage investors, SocGen reckons.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 27, 2025

However, the DfE confirmed its due diligence checks did not examine the financial background of independent schools' prospective proprietors.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2024

White proprietors who cater exclusively to Negro trade stood in doorways and solicited us.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

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