proprietor

[pruh-prahy-i-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proprietor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the owner of a business establishment, a hotel, etc.

a person who has the exclusive right or title to something; an owner, as of real property.

a group of proprietors; proprietary.

Nearby words

Origin of proprietor

First recorded in 1630–40; propriet(ary) + -or²

Related formspro·pri·e·to·ri·al

[pruh-prahy-i-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /prəˌpraɪ ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivepro·pri·e·to·ri·al·ly, adverbpro·pri·e·tor·ship, nounnon·pro·pri·e·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for proprietor

He was the proprietor of a grimy chicken joint in Rochester, New York.
The Loser Who Wanted to Be the ISIS Agent Next Door|Michael Daly|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Seyed, the proprietor, tells us that there is always a way to keep the police quiet.
Tehran’s Underground Speakeasies|IranWire|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once I was pregnant, I embraced my own femininity and settled into my role as decision maker and proprietor.
Yes, Women Can Make Great Wine|Jordan Salcito|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the spring of 2012, Don Sammons, the sole resident and proprietor of Buford, decided it was time to sell the 147-year-old town.
America’s Tiniest Town Is Sold And Renamed PhinDeli Town Buford, Wyoming|Nina Strochlic|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In recent years, Loeb, founder and proprietor of Third Point has gone and acquired stakes in companies like Yahoo!
Activist Investor Dan Loeb Tagets Auction House Sotheby’s|William O’Connor|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You said that you were the proprietor of the chemical company in town.
The Boy Scouts on Belgian Battlefields|Lieut. Howard Payson
Apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, Kennedy got up to go, complimenting the proprietor on his wine.
The Silent Bullet|Arthur B. Reeve
The cries and shouts of the Indians, as they searched about for the proprietor, reached our ears.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston
"We does a roaring trade yere," said Pickles, looking around him with the air of a proprietor well satisfied with his property.
Sue, A Little Heroine|L. T. Meade
The proprietor, tenant or occupier who permits a place to be used for an infringing performance shall be deemed an infringer.
Copyright: Its History and Its Law|Richard Rogers Bowker

British Dictionary definitions for proprietor

proprietor

noun

an owner of an unincorporated business enterprise

a person enjoying exclusive right of ownership to some property

US history a governor or body of governors of a proprietary colony

Derived Formsproprietorship, nounproprietorial (prəˌpraɪəˈtɔːrɪəl), adjectiveproprietress or proprietrix, fem n

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

Word Origin and History for proprietor

proprietor

1630s, "owner, by royal grant, of an American colony," probably from proprietary (n.) in sense "property owner" (late 15c., see proprietary). In general sense of "one who holds something as property" it is attested from 1640s.

proprietor

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of proprietor

Examples from the Web for proprietor

proprietor

noun

proprietor