landowner

American  

[land-oh-ner] / ˈlændˌoʊ nər /

noun

1. an owner or proprietor of land.

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landowner British  

/ ˈlændˌəʊnə /

noun

1. a person who owns land

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Other Word Forms

• landownership noun
• landowning noun

Etymology

Origin of landowner

First recorded in 1725–35; land + owner

Explanation

A landowner is someone who possesses many acres. Once you achieve your dream of buying a vast blueberry farm in Maine, you'll be a landowner too. The word landowner couldn't be more clear: it's someone who owns land. The term is often used for people who have a lot of it, so you might read a news story about a bill that would raise taxes on wealthy landowners, for example. But it's also a blanket term for anyone who owns property: "The city sent letters to all the landowners who will be affected by the construction project."

Example Sentences

Near the Pee Dee River that runs through the Carolinas, George began working for a white landowner until, he recalls, a “hue and cry found me out.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Around sunset on Sept. 22, six days after Cynthia was last seen, a rural landowner was walking her dog on a private dirt road 40 miles south of Arlington when she noticed a foul odor.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

A landowner has been handed a record fine after illegally felling trees in Leicestershire, the Forestry Commission has said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

They no longer manage demolition, but they are the titleholder to publicly-owned land, and are still the largest single landowner in the city of Detroit.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

By the time George Washington appeared before Dinwiddie, he was a major landowner.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Related Words

• banker
• entrepreneur
• financier