landlord

noun

land·​lord ˈland-ˌlȯrd 

1

: the owner of property (such as land, houses, or apartments) that is leased or rented to another

2

: the master of an inn or lodging house : innkeeper

Synonyms

• lessor
• letter
• renter

Examples of landlord in a Sentence

agreed to pay the landlord the rent on the first Monday of each month

a weekend workshop that is intended to disabuse would-be landlords of a bed-and breakfast that the job is one long vacation

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, Saks officials said the decision to close the flagship was due to an inability to come to lease terms with a landlord over a small piece of the property. —David Moin, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025

The kindergartner was getting ready to take a shower when their landlord knocked on the door, his mother, Hanan Shaheen, testified Tuesday. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025

Those investigations can last months or years and lead to financial settlements, compliance monitoring and policy reforms by landlords, mortgage lenders, local zoning officials and homeowners associations. —Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2025

In neither country was there ever great disparity in wealth — big landlords versus little guys. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landlord

• absentee landlord

Rhymes for landlord

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord -ˌ(d)lȯ(ə)rd 

1

: the owner of land or houses that is rented to another

2

: a person who runs an inn or rooming house

Legal Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord

: the owner of property (as houses, apartments, or land) that is leased or rented to another