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
Seema Prasad, proprietor of the Nashville farm-to-table bistro Miel, trains servers to ask questions that will help send diners in the right direction.
—
Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 May 2025
Nearly half of Americans (43 percent) consider Trump the sole proprietor of the U.S. economy, according to a recent survey by Gallup.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
Mindy Gray, the proprietor in question, has been spending her summers in Sagaponack since 2003.
—Carrie Monahan, Air Mail, 10 May 2025
Today, that tradition continues under Alexandra Winkler, the current proprietor and a member of the Gürtler family, which has owned the hotel since 1934.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietor
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Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 May 2025
Nearly half of Americans (43 percent) consider Trump the sole proprietor of the U.S. economy, according to a recent survey by Gallup.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
Mindy Gray, the proprietor in question, has been spending her summers in Sagaponack since 2003.
—Carrie Monahan, Air Mail, 10 May 2025
Today, that tradition continues under Alexandra Winkler, the current proprietor and a member of the Gürtler family, which has owned the hotel since 1934.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietor
Cite this Entry
“Proprietor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proprietor. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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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