special partner

American

noun

a partner whose liability for the firm's debts is limited to the amount that partner has invested in the firm.

Etymology

Origin of special partner

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

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.

He was a special partner, no question about that.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

Lately, however, he has been in practical retirement although he is a special partner of Harris, Upham & Co.

From Time Magazine Archive

Knute Kenneth Rockne, famed Notre Dame football coach, prepared to open a broker's office in South Bend's Odd Fellows Hall as South Bend representative and special partner of R. H. Gibson & Co. of Cincinnati.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mrs. Clara Prince, widow of the late Julius Prince and sister-in-law of Broker Theodore Prince, was made a special partner of Theodore Prince & Co.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mr. Barnum also invested $20,000, as special partner, in a company for the publication of an illustrated weekly newspaper in New York.

From The Life of Phineas T. Barnum by Benton, Joel

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