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.

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

Related Words for proprietor

owner, holder, possessor, proprietary, freeholder, titleholder

Examples from the Web for proprietor

Contemporary Examples of 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
Seyed, the proprietor, tells us that there is always a way to keep the police quiet.
Tehran’s Underground Speakeasies
IranWire
June 15, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples of proprietor

Stepping into the store, he attracted the attention of the proprietor.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
The State authority was to be the purchaser, and the occupier was to be the proprietor.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
The lawyer's brows were knit as he faced the proprietor of the store.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
This proprietor was a man of great opulence, and a relative of Naomi.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
Would it be possible for me to speak to the proprietor a moment?
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance

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

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.