silent partner

See synonyms for silent partner on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a partner taking no active part in the conduct of a business.

Origin of silent partner

1
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use silent partner in a sentence

  • Mr. Meadows, the president, will take all telephone messages, as the horse is a silent partner.

    Ticktock and Jim | Keith Robertson
  • Did she know what he meant to do with them; that is, was Cordelia a silent partner in Egbert's stock speculations?

    Fair Harbor | Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for silent partner

silent partner

noun
  1. US and Canadian a partner in a business who does not play an active role, esp one who supplies capital: Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): sleeping partner

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012