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

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

Proprietor Romain Escoffier confirmed a recent uptick in American diners, “opening the doors of our city, eager to discover a certain art de vivre unique to Burgundy.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

The inscription on the token says: "The Proprietor of this Ticket is entitled to the sight of every performance to be exhibited in this house".

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2023

Proprietor Jake Conroy aims to reopen after complying with DAR orders.

From Washington Times • Feb. 16, 2023

Proprietor Ken Hewitt can share his expertise on preparing anything in the market.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2022

Here is required the surrender of the whole man as a living sacrifice to his Divine Creator and Sovereign Proprietor.

From Old Wine and New Occasional Discourses by Cross, Joseph