stakeholder

IPA/ˈsteɪkhəʊldə(r)/
KK[stˈekhˌoldɚ]IPA/ˈsteɪkhəʊldər/

stakeholder — noun

  • stakeholdersingular
  • stakeholdersplural

1. A person, company, or group that owns shares in a business and therefore has a f

1.nounB2
Definition

A person, company, or group that owns shares in a business and therefore has a financial interest in whether it makes a profit or a loss.

Example

The board held a meeting to discuss the concerns raised by its major stakeholders.

stakeholder + in: financial ownership context

As a stakeholder in the tech startup, Wei received a portion of the annual profits.

ownership share yields profit share

Common collocations
  • major stakeholder
  • key stakeholder
  • stakeholder in the company
  • stakeholder meeting
Synonyms
  • shareholder

    more specific — a shareholder always owns shares; a stakeholder may have other forms of financial interest

  • investor

    broader — covers anyone who puts money in, not necessarily holding shares

Grammar Patterns

stakeholder + in + organization

Usage Note

In business contexts, this sense overlaps with 'shareholder' but is broader — a stakeholder may be a company or institution rather than an individual.

Common Mistakes

Every shareholder in the project attended the planning workshop.
Every stakeholder in the project attended the planning workshop.
'Stakeholder' refers to any entity (person, company, or institution) that owns shares; 'shareholder' usually means an individual person holding shares. Use 'stakeholder' when the owner may be an organisation.

2. A person or group that is affected by the actions of an organization, or that ha

2.nounB2
Definition

A person or group that is affected by the actions of an organization, or that has an interest in its success, such as employees, customers, or the local community.

Example

The hospital consulted all stakeholders before deciding where to build the new wing.

consult + stakeholder: typical verb collocation

Teachers, parents, and students are all key stakeholders in any school reform.

Common collocations
  • key stakeholder
  • stakeholder engagement
  • stakeholder consultation
  • stakeholder feedback
  • stakeholder group
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

stakeholder + in + organization/process

Usage Note

Frequently used in plural form ('stakeholders') to refer to all parties with an interest. Common in project management, sustainability, and policy discourse.

Common Mistakes

We need to listen to our stockholder feedback.
We need to listen to our stakeholder feedback.
'Stakeholder' includes customers and employees; 'stockholder' only means share owner.

3. A person who collects and holds the money that people bet on the result of a rac

3.nounC1
Definition

A person who collects and holds the money that people bet on the result of a race, game, or competition, and then pays it to the winner.

Example

The stakeholder counted the bets and announced the final odds before the horse race began.

stakeholder + bets + odds: gambling domain lexis

After the match, the stakeholders divided the money among the winning ticket holders.

Common collocations
  • act as stakeholder
  • stakeholder for the race
  • stakeholder held the money
Synonyms
  • bookmaker

    a professional who accepts bets as a business, not just holds them for a group

Grammar Patterns

stakeholder + for + event

Usage Note

This sense is historical in origin and now relatively uncommon in everyday speech. Most English speakers encounter the word in the two business/policy senses above.

Common Mistakes

The stakeholder refused to pay the winning bet.' (when referring to a casino employee)
The bookmaker refused to pay the winning bet.
A 'stakeholder' in gambling specifically holds bets for a group; a 'bookmaker' or 'bookie' accepts bets as a business.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Stakeholder' (sense 2) refers broadly to anyone affected by an organisation's actions — employees, customers, local residents. 'Interested party' is more formal and often used in legal or contractual contexts, implying someone who stands to gain or lose from an outcome. 'Participant' focuses on active involvement rather than passive interest — a participant takes part, while a stakeholder may simply be impacted. 'Constituent' is mainly political, referring to a person who lives in a particular district and is represented by an elected official. For example: 'The city council invited all stakeholders — residents, business owners, and commuters — to the hearing.' Here, 'stakeholder' is the natural choice because it covers people who are affected regardless of whether they actively participate.

stakeholder ↗interested partyparticipant ↗constituent ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • key stakeholder
  • major stakeholder
  • stakeholder in the project
  • stakeholder perspective

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'stakeholder' combines 'stake' (something risked or wagered, from Old English 'staca' meaning a pointed stick, later used figuratively for money put at risk) with 'holder' (someone who holds or keeps something). Its earliest recorded use (early 1700s) refers to the person who holds the bets in gambling. The business meaning — a person who owns shares — emerged in the mid-1900s, and the broader sense of anyone with an interest in an organisation's actions became common from the 1980s onward in management and policy discussions.