proprietor
noun
pro·pri·e·tor
prə-ˈprī-ə-tər 
1
: one granted ownership of a colony (such as one of the original American colonies) and full prerogatives of establishing a government and distributing land
2
a
: a person who has the legal right or exclusive title to something : owner
b
: one having an interest (such as control or present use) less than absolute and exclusive right
Examples of proprietor in a Sentence
She is the proprietor of the store.
the proprietor of a used-car dealership
Recent Examples on the Web
The collection, which was originally accumulated between 1893 and 1910 by hotel proprietor, Ludvig Emil Andersen, features 42 figureheads and carved ornaments all hand-carved from solid mahogany.
—
Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
The famed French eatery, a one-time haunt of everyone from Grace Kelly and Jackie O to Truman Capote and Orson Welles, has now changed hands and reintroduced itself this summer under proprietors and Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson of Frenchette and Le Rock.
—Freya Drohan, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2024
One person said the plans were discussed at the highest level of the Standard and in consultation with Lord Lebedev, the newspaper’s proprietor.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
The show chronicles Barnum's fascinating life story, charting his rise to fame as a circus proprietor and disastrous attempt to move into politics.
—Irenie Forshaw, The Week Uk, theweek, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for proprietor 
Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
The famed French eatery, a one-time haunt of everyone from Grace Kelly and Jackie O to Truman Capote and Orson Welles, has now changed hands and reintroduced itself this summer under proprietors and Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson of Frenchette and Le Rock.
—Freya Drohan, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2024
One person said the plans were discussed at the highest level of the Standard and in consultation with Lord Lebedev, the newspaper’s proprietor.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
The show chronicles Barnum's fascinating life story, charting his rise to fame as a circus proprietor and disastrous attempt to move into politics.
—Irenie Forshaw, The Week Uk, theweek, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for proprietor
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proprietor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near proprietor
Cite this Entry
“Proprietor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietor. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
proprietor
noun
pro·pri·e·tor
prə-ˈprī-ə-tər
: one who has legal right or exclusive title to something : owner
also
: one (as a lessee) having an interest (as control or present use) less than absolute or exclusive right
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