proprietor

[ pruh-prahy-i-ter ]
See synonyms for proprietor on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. a group of proprietors; proprietary.

Origin of proprietor

1
First recorded in 1630–40; propriet(ary) + -or2

Other words from proprietor

  • pro·pri·e·to·ri·al [pruh-prahy-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-], /prəˌpraɪ ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjective
  • pro·pri·e·to·ri·al·ly, adverb
  • pro·pri·e·tor·ship, noun
  • non·pro·pri·e·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use proprietor in a sentence

  • "I am very proud of my husband, Mr. Herkimer," she said with a little bob of her head in which was a sense of proprietorship.

    Murder in Any Degree | Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for proprietor

proprietor

/ (prəˈpraɪətə) /


noun
  1. an owner of an unincorporated business enterprise

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

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

Derived forms of proprietor

  • proprietorship, noun
  • proprietorial (prəˌpraɪəˈtɔːrɪəl), adjective
  • proprietress 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