Meaning & use
proprietor
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who owns a business such as a shop, hotel or restaurant, and often runs it.
Grammar: Often used with the business named: the proprietor of a bakery.
Patterns
- the proprietor of something
The proprietor of the corner bakery greets every customer by name.
She became the proprietor of a small hotel by the sea.
The restaurant proprietor came to our table to ask about the meal.
nouncountableformallegal
A person who legally owns land, a newspaper or other property.
Grammar: Formal or legal, found in writing about property or publishing.
Patterns
- the proprietor of something
The proprietor of the estate allowed visitors on the grounds in summer.
The newspaper's proprietor wanted a say in the headlines.
The deed names the proprietor of the plot.
Word forms
| plural | proprietors |
|---|
Common combinations
- shop proprietor
- The shop proprietor offered us tea.
- hotel proprietor
- The hotel proprietor showed us to our room.
- sole proprietor
- As sole proprietor, she keeps all the profits.
- proud proprietor
- He is the proud proprietor of a small cafe.
- proprietor of the establishment
- The proprietor of the establishment asked us to leave quietly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- owner
- Owner is the plain everyday word for anyone who owns something, while proprietor sounds more formal and is usually for businesses.
- landlord
- Landlord is used for someone who rents out buildings or runs a pub, whereas a proprietor owns and runs a business.
- manager
- A manager runs a business for someone else, but a proprietor owns it.
- shopkeeper
- Shopkeeper is specific to shops and does not necessarily mean the person owns it.
Opposites
Word family
- proprietress noun
- an old-fashioned word for a woman who owns a business
- proprietary adjective
- owned or controlled by a company, as in proprietary software
- proprietorship noun
- the state or right of owning something
- property noun
- something that is owned
Commonly confused: proprietor or proprietary? proprietor or propriety?
proprietor vs proprietary
Proprietary is an adjective meaning privately owned or controlled. A proprietor is a person.
proprietor vs propriety
Propriety means correct, proper behavior. It sounds like proprietor but is not about owning anything.
Practice
The ___ of the small guesthouse also cooked breakfast every morning.
Choose one answer.
A proprietor is a person who owns and runs a business. Propriety and proprietary are different words, and a property is a building or land, not a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “proprietor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.