Meaning & use
stakeholder
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusiness
A person, group or organization that is affected by a decision or project and therefore has an interest in how it turns out.
Grammar: Plural is stakeholders: all stakeholders were invited.
Patterns
- a stakeholder in something
- key stakeholders
Residents are important stakeholders in the plan for the new park.
The manager consulted every stakeholder before changing the schedule.
Customers, staff and suppliers are all stakeholders in the company.
nouncountablespecialistold-fashioned
A person who holds the money bet by others until the result is known.
Grammar: Old and specialist use, mostly in betting.
Patterns
- act as stakeholder
The pub landlord acted as stakeholder for the bet.
Each friend gave the stakeholder five dollars before the race.
Word forms
| plural | stakeholders |
|---|
Common combinations
- key stakeholders
- Key stakeholders met to agree the budget.
- consult stakeholders
- The council must consult stakeholders before building.
- stakeholder engagement
- Stakeholder engagement improved after regular surveys.
- stakeholder in the outcome
- Parents are a stakeholder in the outcome of the school review.
- external stakeholders
- External stakeholders include suppliers and local residents.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shareholder
- A shareholder owns shares in a company, while a stakeholder only needs to be affected by it.
- interested party
- Interested party is a more formal, legal-sounding phrase for the same idea.
- participant
- A participant takes part in an activity, whereas a stakeholder may be affected without taking part.
- investor
- An investor puts money in expecting a return, which is only one type of stakeholder.
Opposites
Word family
- stake noun
- a share or interest in something
- stakeholding noun
- the state of having a stake in something
- shareholder noun
- someone who owns shares
- stakeholders noun
- plural of stakeholder
Commonly confused: stakeholder or shareholder?
stakeholder vs shareholder
A shareholder owns part of a company, but a stakeholder is anyone with an interest in the outcome.
Practice
Which person is a stakeholder in a new factory plan, even without owning shares?
Choose one answer.
A stakeholder is anyone affected by or interested in a decision. A nearby resident is affected, while the others have no stake.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stakeholder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.