proprietor

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-ter] / prəˈpraɪ ɪ tər /

noun

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

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

3. a group of proprietors; proprietary.

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proprietor British  

/ prəˌpraɪəˈtɔːrɪəl, prəˈpraɪətə /

noun

1. an owner of an unincorporated business enterprise

2. a person enjoying exclusive right of ownership to some property

3. history a governor or body of governors of a proprietary colony

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Other Word Forms

• nonproprietor noun
• proprietorial adjective
• proprietorially adverb
• proprietorship noun
• proprietress noun

Etymology

Origin of proprietor

First recorded in 1630–40; propriet(ary) + -or ²

Example Sentences

"We are suffering a lot," said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

One person moved by the tale was Morris Michtom, the proprietor of a Brooklyn, N.Y., candy store and newsstand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Family and friends were able to support borrowers through new, so-called joint borrower, sole proprietor mortgages.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

Andy, proprietor of The Institutional View research service, joins Barron’s Lauren Rublin and Ben Levisohn for an in-depth technical look at stocks, bonds, commodities, volatility, and economic trends.

From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025

I tried the number again while the obliging proprietor dug up his two coldest ones from the bottom of the deep freeze.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez