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
Billionaire media mogul and proprietor Rupert Murdoch earlier this month had to slash the price of his Manhattan penthouse nearly 40% to $38.5 million.
—
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
In addition to making its own cheeses and delicious hay soup, the restaurant’s twinkly proprietor Franz Musler runs cooking courses in the summer, with a focus on herbs and flowers growing in the surrounding pastures.
—Jemima Sissons, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
Six of the Sacramento region’s top chefs, from a vegetarian proprietor in midtown to fine dining craftspeople in the suburbs, recently sounded off to The Sacramento Bee about the customer behaviors that drive them batty.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The detectives learned that its proprietor also owned a liquidation warehouse, which advertised everything from Victoria’s Secret bags to Clinique moisturizer to Born to Glow!, a complexion brightener.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
After steadily adding vineyard sites and improving its winery facilities under the stewardship of the Otis family, Matthews experienced an enormous change in 2021, when proprietor Bryan Otis hired the entire winemaking team from Quilceda Creek.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024
In response, the salon’s proprietor sued the town for business losses.
—Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Review of Books, 15 Feb. 2024
The Dodgers can protect their interests while embracing the proprietors of a local barber shop and taco shop, neither of whom is trying to be a villain.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The two horses ended up in the permanent care of Dogwood Farm proprietor Diane Wood when a man boarding a herd of 17 horses removed 15 and abandoned Beja and Stone.
—Alexandra Rockey Fleming, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
In addition to making its own cheeses and delicious hay soup, the restaurant’s twinkly proprietor Franz Musler runs cooking courses in the summer, with a focus on herbs and flowers growing in the surrounding pastures.
—Jemima Sissons, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
Six of the Sacramento region’s top chefs, from a vegetarian proprietor in midtown to fine dining craftspeople in the suburbs, recently sounded off to The Sacramento Bee about the customer behaviors that drive them batty.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The detectives learned that its proprietor also owned a liquidation warehouse, which advertised everything from Victoria’s Secret bags to Clinique moisturizer to Born to Glow!, a complexion brightener.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
After steadily adding vineyard sites and improving its winery facilities under the stewardship of the Otis family, Matthews experienced an enormous change in 2021, when proprietor Bryan Otis hired the entire winemaking team from Quilceda Creek.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024
In response, the salon’s proprietor sued the town for business losses.
—Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Review of Books, 15 Feb. 2024
The Dodgers can protect their interests while embracing the proprietors of a local barber shop and taco shop, neither of whom is trying to be a villain.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The two horses ended up in the permanent care of Dogwood Farm proprietor Diane Wood when a man boarding a herd of 17 horses removed 15 and abandoned Beja and Stone.
—Alexandra Rockey Fleming, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
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 28 Apr. 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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