stakeholder

American  

[steyk-hohl-der] / ˈsteɪkˌhoʊl dər /

noun

1. the holder of the stakes of a wager.

2. a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry.

3. Law. a person holding money or property to which two or more persons make rival claims.

---

stakeholder British  

/ ˈsteɪkˌhəʊldə /

noun

1. a person or group owning a significant percentage of a company's shares

2. a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having an interest in its operations, such as the employees, customers, local community, etc

---

adjective

1. of or relating to policies intended to allow people to participate in and benefit from decisions made by enterprises in which they have a stake

   a stakeholder economy

Etymology

Origin of stakeholder

First recorded in 1700–10; stake ² + holder

Explanation

A stakeholder is a person interested in a company. If you become CEO of a big company, you'll have to keep the interests of every stakeholder in mind, from the employees to the customers to the investors, whenever you make decisions. Supposedly people used to gamble by putting their money on a wooden stake, and a person called a stakeholder who wasn't involved in the betting would supervise to make sure everything was fair. No one uses wooden stakes anymore, but we still call the person who holds the money and monitors the betting the stakeholder, and people often use stake to mean "risk," or "investment." That's why someone who is invested in a business is also called a stakeholder.

Example Sentences

The district has more than doubled its spending on outside vendors and contractors in the past decade, according to a report from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“That’s one of the risks for consumers,” Jim Baker, the executive director of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, told me.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026

"We eagerly await the details of what this policy will actually entail," said Garin, of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, adding: "But we urge policymakers not to stop there."

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

The settlement is a “big deal” for renters, said K Agbebiyi of the nonprofit Private Equity Stakeholder Project.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

All right, Mr. Stakeholder," laughed the salesman, "pass over the kale.

From The Promise A Tale of the Great Northwest by Hendryx, James B. (James Beardsley)

Related Words

• collaborator
• colleague
• partner
• shareholder