proprietor

American  

[pruh-prahy-i-ter] / prəˈpraɪ ɪ tər /

noun

• proprietors
  plural

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  

/ 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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• proprietors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of proprietor

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

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Explanation

Someone who owns a business or a property is a proprietor. A bookstore proprietor might wish she became a librarian instead so the books would come back. The first part of proprietor sounds a lot like "property," and a proprietor is someone with ownership of property. Sometimes a proprietor oversees the business, such as a restaurant proprietor who is also a chef or hostess, and other times a proprietor owns many businesses and has different people running them. A proprietor of a local bakery might make and sell his own donuts, while the proprietor of a chain of donut shops might work from an office managing the people who manage the stores.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proprietor proprietors

In January 2025, the cafe was fined £18,000 and its proprietor Baris Yucel was given 100 hours of community service after admitting six criminal charges related to the Food Safety Act.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“It’s the same as the ingredients that built the Israelis,” said Eyal Shani, the Israeli chef and Miznon’s proprietor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

A sole proprietor earning $60,000, for example, may be able to contribute as both employee and employer, plus make an age 50 catch-up contribution.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

"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

Presently, the proprietor would come over and ask how things were going.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

North Hollywood-based After Hours Theatre Company has become one of the more reliable proprietors of immersive, interactive theater in the L.A. region.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The change would be even harder for landscapers who work as sole proprietors, with a single vehicle and limited space for charging and storing equipment.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Irritating but never truly dangerous, his antagonism is a safety valve for the class system and a flattering diversion for its proprietors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Bucket shop patrons were positioned heavily for Amalgamated to rise, so the proprietors shorted the stock “to establish as low a quotation as possible,” the Journal wrote.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

White proprietors who cater exclusively to Negro trade stood in doorways and solicited us.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

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