shipowner

American

[ship-oh-ner] / ˈʃɪpˌoʊ nər /

noun

a person who owns a ship or ships.

shipowner British

/ ˈʃɪpˌəʊnə /

noun

a person who owns or has shares in a ship or ships

"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

Etymology

Origin of shipowner

First recorded in 1520–30; ship ¹ + owner

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A daily freight rate of, say, $2 a barrel to go from the Middle East to Asia is meaningful for a shipowner.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The shipowner said the vessel was acting on the warning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

“A ‘workable system’ of transit and shipowner confidence in the security of the transiting vessels is essential,” Alan Gelder, a senior vice president at consultant Wood Mackenzie, said in a note.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

BHP will receive delivery of the three additional carriers from shipowner Eastern Pacific Shipping by mid-2023, Eley said.

From Reuters • Oct. 4, 2022

By now the shipowner would have gathered up coins and cane and limped on to the soup shop.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023