owner

noun

own·​er ˈō-nər How to pronounce owner (audio)
plural owners
: a person who owns something : one who has the legal or rightful title to something : one to whom property belongs
business/property owners
He and his sister are owners of the restaurant.
We were able to return the wallet to its rightful owner.
often used in combination
dog-owners and cat-owners

Examples of owner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bentley is somewhat different from these brands, though, in that a Bentley is more likely to be an owner’s regular car for daily use whereas a Lamborghini or Rolls-Royce is more likely for special occasions or purely for fun. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Providing all the evil that one camp can handle is Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the bullying, ruthless, sadistic owner of the town’s saloon, brothel and hotel. Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 Bobby Mackey, owner of Bobby Mackey's Music World in Wilder, Kentucky, plans to demolish his bar's home venue, which has been standing since the 1930s. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024 One of the companies is owned by Tom Gores, the Detroit Pistons owner, who also is named in the St. Clair County suit. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024 Vacant buildings that produce zero revenue can often doom a site’s finances because the property owner doesn’t have enough revenue to pay off the mortgage on the building. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 In December, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, bought a 75% share of Tokopedia, GoTo’s e-commerce platform. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 20 Mar. 2024 Rodriguez and Lore have been working to become basketball-team owners since 2021. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 The most successful influencers can earn thousands of dollars in foreign advertising revenue per video, say Afghan owners of YouTube channels, a striking figure in a country where a monthly salary of a few hundred dollars counts as good income. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'owner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oȝener, ouner, owener, auner, perhaps continuing Old English āgnere, from āgnian "to own, possess" + -ere -er entry 2 — more at own entry 2

Note: Though this etymology is possible, there is a significant gap between the Old English noun and the first attestation of an owner etymon (oȝener in Dan Michel's Ayenbite of Inwyt, ca. 1340). The modern verb own is unattested before the late sixteenth century, so if the Middle English noun is a new formation, it must be a derivative of the adjective.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of owner was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near owner

Cite this Entry

“Owner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owner. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

owner

noun
own·​er
: one with an interest in and often dominion over property: as
a
: legal owner in this entry
b
: one with the right to exclusive use, control, or possession of property
c
: a purchaser under a contract for the sale of real property see also equitable owner in this entry
beneficial owner
: one holding a beneficial interest in a trust compare beneficial interest at interest sense 1
: one enjoying the benefit of property of which another is the legal owner was the beneficial owner of property held by the parent corporation
: one who has or shares the power to control the voting or investment of stock was considered the beneficial owner of stock held by her minor children
equitable owner
: one (as a beneficiary of a trust) who is considered to have rights or obligations of an owner regardless of legal title on the ground of equity do not have legal title but, upon execution of the contract, they became equitable owners and have power to sue to protect their landDessen v. Jones, 551 N.E.2d 782 (1990)
legal owner
: one who has legal title to property
broadly : one determined by law to own property
naked owner
in the civil law of Louisiana : an owner of property burdened by a usufruct
record owner
: one who is the owner of property (as land or stock) according to current appropriate records received a tax bill as record owner of the land

called also owner of record

More from Merriam-Webster on owner

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