owner

owner — noun

1. a person or group that legally has something, such as a home, car, or business

1.nounB1
Definition

a person or group that legally has something, such as a home, car, or business

Example

The new owner painted the shop door bright green.

Each dog owner must keep water outside in summer.

noun before another noun: dog owner

Common collocations
  • car owner
  • home owner
  • business owner
  • pet owner
Synonyms
  • proprietor

    more formal, often used for a business or property

  • holder

    used more for tickets, rights, or official documents

  • possessor

    formal or legal, stressing the fact of having something

Antonyms
  • tenant

    someone who lives in or uses a place without owning it

  • borrower

    someone who uses something for a short time but does not own it

Usage Note

Usually followed by "of" before the thing, or used before another noun, as in "car owner" or "shop owner".

Common Mistakes

She is the own of the house.
She is the owner of the house.
'owner' is the noun for a person; 'own' is not.
The owner for the car is my aunt.
The owner of the car is my aunt.
Use 'of', not 'for', after 'owner' when naming the thing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

"Owner" is the normal everyday word for a person who legally has something. "Proprietor" is more formal and is often used for shops, hotels, or small businesses. "Holder" fits things like tickets, passports, rights, or records, so it usually does not replace "owner" for a house or car. "Possessor" is formal or legal and puts more focus on the fact of having something. "Landlord" is only an owner who rents a home, room, or building to other people. Say "The owner of the bike called the police," but "the proprietor of the cafe greeted us at the door."

proprietor ↗holder ↗possessorlandlord ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • business owner
  • car owner
  • dog owner
  • property owner

Phrases

  • new owner
  • original owner
  • the owner of the house

Prepositions

  • owner of

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word was formed in English from "own" plus the ending "-er". "Own" comes from Old English and meant something like "belonging to oneself". Together, they created a word for the person who has something as their property.