From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishproprietorpro‧pri‧e‧tor /prəˈpraɪətə $ -ər/ noun [countable] formalBB an owner of a businessproprietor of the proprietor of a small hotel and restaurantnewspaper/garage/cafe etc proprietor
Examples from the Corpus
proprietor• Proprietor Ginny Gavin serves fresh croissants and fruit at breakfast to guests at her inn.• As proprietors of the general store, Mr and Mrs Stacey knew everything that went on in the town.• Bogie, the beer-bellied proprietor, says he feels it's his duty to stay open.• My father had fallen victim to an unscrupulous garage proprietor.• Eddy Shah, the former national newspaper proprietor• Unlike the owners of a corporation, sole proprietors and partners do not draw salaries as such.• With his broken-down truck and borrowed electricity, Carvel was the prototypical sole proprietor.• A bed and breakfast was booked solid for the dates I wanted, and the proprietor of it suggested the Ridgemount.• I poked my head under the dripping awning of a newsstand and asked the proprietor.• Dan Conrad, the proprietor of Conrad's Bookstore, says that small stores such as his offer service and convenience.• I knew the proprietor must be struggling to make a living, because we could no longer afford to extend him any credit.• The offer is made when the proprietor of the machine holds it out as being ready to receive the money.• The proprietors of Angels in Horden, near Peterlee, have been told they must follow a stringent set of conditions.newspaper/garage/cafe etc proprietor• Similarly the moral crusaders, newspaper proprietors and muck-raking journalists should be called off.• Last weekend it was offered to Eddy Shah, the former national newspaper proprietor, for £16m.• He has been in contact with Eddy Shah, the former national newspaper proprietor.• There was not just one contract made between the garage proprietor and the customer.• Did the garage proprietor also make a contract of sale in relation to the World Cup coins?• But for the newspaper proprietors, outside competition is not always a problem.• First, they claimed that the garage proprietor made no contract at all with the customer in relation to the World Cup coins.• This may not have been very constructive, but, except towards the newspaper proprietors, it did not sound particularly bitter.From Longman Business Dictionaryproprietorpro‧pri‧e‧tor /prəˈpraɪətə-ər/ (abbreviation prop) noun [countable]1COMMERCEsomeone who owns a businessproprietor ofEchenard was the proprietor of the famous Hotel du Louvre.Horace Greeley was a powerful newspaper proprietor.2PROPERTYLAWsomeone who owns land or buildings3LAW someone who owns a legal right such as a PATENT or a COPYRIGHT (=rights to be the only maker, producer, or seller of something for a specific period of time)The proprietor of a trademark has the exclusive right to use the mark in relation to the class of goods or services against which it is registered. 