sleeping partner
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A partner in a trade, or shop, who lends his name and money, for which he receives a share of the profit, without doing any part of the business.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Người góp vốn kinh doanh, nhận lợi nhuận mà không tham gia hoạt động
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “sleeping partner” mean?
A partner in a trade, or shop, who lends his name and money, for which he receives a share of the profit, without doing any part of the business.
Is “sleeping partner” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.