owner-operator

American  

[oh-ner-op-uh-ray-ter] / ˈoʊ nərˈɒp əˌreɪ tər /

noun

1. a driver, especially of a truck or taxicab, who owns and operates a vehicle used to earn a living.

2. a person who both owns and operates a business.

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Etymology

Origin of owner-operator

First recorded in 1955–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

owner-operator

Today, Black Bear is the largest owner-operator of hockey rinks in the country—it now runs almost 50 across 12 states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

“Our sympathies go out to this family for what occurred in this unfortunate incident, as we hold customer safety as one of our highest priorities,” McDonald’s owner-operator Brent Upchurch said in a statement.

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2023

"I also nursed this dream, which I never confessed to my socialist comrades, of becoming an independent owner-operator or working in the industry as a logistics expert," Davis said.

From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2022

As an owner-operator, he feels pulled between the choices and fears how customers could react against strict enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022

Economic activities, in the course of the great revolution, had less and less connection with the homestead, and except for a tiny minority of the personnel, had no connection with the family of the owner-operator.

From Civilization and Beyond Learning from History by Scott Nearing

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