company

1 of 2

noun

com·​pa·​ny ˈkəmp-nē 

ˈkəm-pə-

plural companies

often attributive

1

a

: association with another : fellowship

enjoy a person's company

b

: companions, associates

know a person by the company she keeps

c

: visitors, guests

having company for dinner

2

a

: a group of persons or things

a company of horsemen

b

: a body of soldiers

especially : a unit (as of infantry) consisting usually of a headquarters and two or more platoons

c

: an organization of performing artists

a company of actors

d

: the officers and crew of a ship

The captain called a meeting of the ship's company.

e

: a firefighting unit

A hose company was first to arrive at the scene of the fire.

3

a

: a chartered commercial organization or medieval trade guild

b

: an association of persons for carrying on a commercial or industrial enterprise

electric companies

a publishing company

c

: those members of a partnership firm whose names do not appear in the firm name

John Doe and Company

company

2 of 2

verb

companied; companying

transitive verb

: accompany

… may … fair winds company your safe return.

—John Masefield

intransitive verb

: associate

Synonyms

Noun

• troop
• troupe

Verb

• associate
• chum
• consociate
• consort
• fraternize
• hang (around or out)
• hobnob
• hook up
• mess around
• pal (around)
• run
• sort
• travel

Examples of company in a Sentence

Noun

He runs his own trucking company.

She joined the company last year.

The company is based in Paris.

Her dogs are her only company these days.

You can tell a lot about people by the company they keep.

Verb

in her sermon the minister noted that Jesus had companied with the least privileged and most disadvantaged members of society

may the Good Lord company you on your journey home

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The amendment also does away with a provision that limits the exemption to companies with no more than $100,000 in gross receipts and applies the exemption to all grant amounts instead of just the first $1 million received. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

England and Gage said this money changed the company’s outlook and led to its demise. —Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024

Other companies, such as Anthropic, are also targeting AI in the workplace and hoping employees embrace it. —Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Logging Continues: The Bureau of Land Management has allowed timber companies to cut these forests at a faster pace since Biden's executive order than in the decade that preceded it. —April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English companie, from cumpaignie, from cumpaing companion — more at companion

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing company

• blank check company
• company car
• company man
• company officer
• company town
• company union
• finance company
• for company
• growth company
• holding company
• in company
• in company time
• in company with
• in polite company
• in polite society/company
• inter-company
• in the company of
• investment company
• joint-stock company
• keep bad company
• keep company
• keep company with
• keeping company with the likes of
• livery company
• on company time
• part company
• present company excepted
• present company excluded
• special purpose acquisition company
• stock company
• trust company
• two's company, three's a crowd

Kids Definition

company

noun

com·​pa·​ny

ˈkəmp-(ə-)nē

plural companies

1

a

: association with another : fellowship

enjoy a person's company

b

: a person's companions or associates

known by the company you keep

c

: guests or visitors especially at one's home

we have company

2

a

: a group of persons or things

b

: a body of soldiers

especially : a unit consisting of two or more platoons

c

: an organization of musical or dramatic performers

an opera company

d

: the officers and crew of a ship

e

: a firefighting unit

3

a

: an association of persons carrying on a business

b

: those members of a partnership whose names do not appear in the firm name

Doe and Company

Etymology

Noun

Middle English companie "company, fellowship," from early French cumpaingie (same meaning), derived from Latin companio "companion" — related to accompany, companion

Legal Definition

company

noun

com·​pa·​ny

plural companies

: an association of persons for carrying on a commercial or industrial enterprise compare corporation, partnership

— finance company

: a company that makes usually small short-term loans to individuals

— growth company

: a company that grows at a greater rate than the economy as a whole and that usually directs a relatively high proportion of income back into the business

— holding company

: a company whose sole function is to own and control other companies

— investment company

: a company that earns income solely or primarily by holding and investing in securities issued by other companies or by government agencies

— joint-stock company

: a business organization whose capital is represented by shares owned by stockholders each of whom is personally liable for the company's debts

— limited liability company

: an unincorporated company formed under applicable state statute whose members cannot be held liable for the acts, debts, or obligations of the company and that may elect to be taxed as a partnership

— mutual company

: an insurance company whose capital is owned by its policyholders

— surety company

: a company that provides surety bonds for a fee

— trust company

: a company and often a commercial bank acting as trustee for individuals and businesses and providing related financial or estate planning services