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Synonyms

freeholder

American  
[free-hohl-der] / ˈfriˌhoʊl dər /

noun

  1. the owner of a freehold.

  2. (in some U.S. counties) a registered voter who owns local property and has been a local resident for a specified length of time.

freeholder British  
/ ˈfriːˌhəʊldə /

noun

  1. property law a person in possession of a freehold building or estate in land

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of freeholder

1325–75; Middle English freholder ( see free, holder); translation of Anglo-French fraunc tenaunt ( see frank 1, tenant)

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.

Under the leasehold system, people own the right to occupy a property via a lease for a limited number of years from a freeholder.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Justin Madders told the BBC Labour must stick to its pledge to cap ground rents - an annual fee leaseholders must pay to their freeholder.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

There are around five million leasehold homes, where people own the right to occupy the property via a lease for a certain number of years from a freeholder.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

When the case started in April this year, the judge said he had received a letter informing him that the freeholder, Magnitude Developments Ltd, had commenced liquidation proceedings.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

This rule is explained by the conception of a freehold estate as an interest in lands held by the freeholder from some lord, the king being lord paramount.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

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.