Meaning & use
an absentee owner
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountablebusinesslegal
A person who owns a property or business but does not live there or manage it in person.
Grammar: The article 'an' is used because 'absentee' begins with a vowel sound; the plural is 'absentee owners'.
Patterns
- an absentee owner of something
- be an absentee owner
- absentee owner of a property
The building is poorly maintained because it has an absentee owner who lives abroad.
An absentee owner rarely visits the shop and leaves everything to the manager.
Tenants often complain when an absentee owner ignores repair requests.
phrasecountabledisapproving
Someone who holds an official position or title but is not present to do the work.
Grammar: Used mainly in business and politics; usually mildly critical.
Patterns
- be an absentee owner
- act as an absentee owner
Critics called him an absentee owner who collected profits without helping the company.
She was accused of being an absentee owner of the team, showing up only for big games.
Word forms
| plural | absentee owners |
|---|
Common combinations
- an absentee owner of a building
- The council wrote to the absentee owner of the building about safety problems.
- an absentee owner who lives abroad
- The farm has an absentee owner who lives abroad and visits once a year.
- absentee owner status
- The property was listed as having absentee owner status.
- landlord and absentee owner
- As both landlord and absentee owner, he never met his tenants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- absent landlord
- Used mostly for housing; it stresses that the person rents out property and is not there.
- silent partner
- Refers to an investor who does not manage a business but is not necessarily absent.
Opposites
Word family
- absentee noun
- A person who is not present where they are expected to be.
- absenteeism noun
- The habit of regularly staying away from work or school.
- ownership noun
- The state of owning something.
Commonly confused: an absentee owner or absent owner?
an absentee owner vs absent owner
'Absent' simply means not there at that moment; 'absentee' suggests a continuing pattern of not being present.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'an absentee owner' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'An absentee owner' takes 'an' before the vowel sound and describes someone who is regularly away. Option 1 uses the wrong article, option 2 contradicts the meaning, and option 3 has faulty grammar after 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “an absentee owner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.