proprietress
Americannoun
-
a woman who owns a business establishment.
-
a woman who has the exclusive right or title to something.
Gender
See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of proprietress
First recorded in 1685–95; propriet(o)r + -ess
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.
In counterpoint to the expanding mystery, much of which revolves around a seedy bar named the Birdhouse, is Graham’s cautious courting of the proprietress of a popular bakery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
It’s what’s for dinner in Juzo Itami’s delightful 1985 comedy about the proprietress of a rundown roadside noodle shop.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2022
Eventually, in 2008, Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing moved to Long Island City, after its proprietress faced fines of $1,000 a day if she did not vacate her existing space.
From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2022
At the resort, she meets Lola, its wizened, purposeful proprietress.
From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2021
An old man at one of the tables clapped feebly, and Ignatius peered over the rim of the stage and saw that the proprietress was gone.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
