landlord

noun

land·​lord ˈland-ˌlȯrd 

1

: the owner of property (such as land, houses, or apartments) that is leased or rented to another

2

: the master of an inn or lodging house : innkeeper

Synonyms

• lessor
• letter
• renter

Examples of landlord in a Sentence

agreed to pay the landlord the rent on the first Monday of each month

a weekend workshop that is intended to disabuse would-be landlords of a bed-and breakfast that the job is one long vacation

Recent Examples on the Web

Ricardo divided society into three rivalrous classes—landlords, capitalists, and workers—and showed how the landlords were able to take the lion’s share of the economic surplus by virtue of owning, and charging rent on, a scarce and valuable resource: land. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024

Like many office landlords who borrowed before the pandemic, Trump now has a building that is worth less than its mortgage balance on paper. —Paula Aceves, Curbed, 31 Oct. 2024

In the wake of the protests, DuPont’s landlord, Douglas Emmett Inc., terminated its lease. —Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Pledges to curb price-fixing among corporate landlords. —Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landlord

• absentee landlord

Kids Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord -ˌ(d)lȯ(ə)rd 

1

: the owner of land or houses that is rented to another

2

: a person who runs an inn or rooming house

Legal Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord

: the owner of property (as houses, apartments, or land) that is leased or rented to another