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
Antico Caffè Greco’s sudden demise was the result of a long-running rent dispute between its proprietors, Carlo Pellegrini and Flavia Iozzi, and their landlord, the Israelite Hospital of Rome.
—
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
On ranchland to the west of the river, Sol Lothe, the proprietor of Rio Grande Balloons, fired up his hot-air balloon with propane.
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
The film stars Vince Vaughn as Peter LaFleur, a charismatic underachiever and proprietor of a rundown gym called Average Joe’s, and Ben Stiller as White Goodman, the power-mullet-sporting, Fu-Manchu-d, egomaniacal owner of Globo Gym, a gleaming monolith of fitness.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
The ordinance also clarifies that licenses are transferable between proprietors but not from one location to another, a provision that addresses concerns raised by business owners about succession planning.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proprietor
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
On ranchland to the west of the river, Sol Lothe, the proprietor of Rio Grande Balloons, fired up his hot-air balloon with propane.
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
The film stars Vince Vaughn as Peter LaFleur, a charismatic underachiever and proprietor of a rundown gym called Average Joe’s, and Ben Stiller as White Goodman, the power-mullet-sporting, Fu-Manchu-d, egomaniacal owner of Globo Gym, a gleaming monolith of fitness.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
The ordinance also clarifies that licenses are transferable between proprietors but not from one location to another, a provision that addresses concerns raised by business owners about succession planning.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share