company

noun, often attributive

com·pa·ny | \ ˈkəmp-nē

, ˈkəm-pə-\

plural companies

Definition of company

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a : 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.

3a : 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

verb

companied; companying

Definition of company (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: accompany … may … fair winds company your safe return.— John Masefield

intransitive verb

: associate

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about company

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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

James's clothing line, Sister's Apparel, is distributed by company, Killer Merch. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Wait, Did Jeffree Star Shut Down James Charles's Online Clothing Store?," 14 May 2019 The pair now work closely together at Lori's company, For Your Ease Only. — Marie Milano, Country Living, "'Shark Tank' Star Lori Greiner's Husband Dan Has Always Supported Her Career," 5 May 2019 One of the best ways to start investing is with the options provided by your company. — Glamour, "It's Time to Start Investing, No Matter How Much You Have in the Bank," 1 May 2019 After 3 years, my ability and individual style for creating windows became apparent and I was promoted to visual merchandiser, a new role in the company and a unique position within charity [thrift] shops in general. — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "Francesco Colucci Styles the Windows of Traid in London, Turning Out Some of the City’s Fiercest Looks," 22 Apr. 2019 Duma, who boasts 1.6 million Instagram followers, co-founded the digital media brand Buro 24/7 in 2011 (but sold her stake in the company last March). — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Fashion Influencer Miroslava Duma Is in the Mueller Report Because of Her Link to Ivanka Trump," 18 Apr. 2019 Once inside, Gigi was in good company among fellow honorees Christiane Amanpour, Bette Midler, Taraji P. Henson, and Kacey Musgraves, all being feted for their respective humanitarian work. — Teen Vogue, "Gigi Hadid Wears Powder Blue Jumpsuit and Matching Cape at Variety's Power of Women Event," 6 Apr. 2019 For their May 19 wedding last year, for example, the invitations were printed by a British company with American ink. — Vogue, "How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle May Put an American Spin on Royal Parenthood," 19 Apr. 2019 Here are some of the companies with shares expected to trade actively in Thursday’s session. — Jessica Menton, WSJ, "Stocks to Watch: Blackstone, Alcoa, Atlassian, Sleep Number, Pier 1 Imports, Ally Financial, SunTrust Banks, BB&T, Honeywell International," 18 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'company.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near company

Statistics for company

Last Updated

20 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for company

The first known use of company was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for company

company

noun

English Language Learners Definition of company

: a business organization that makes, buys, or sells goods or provides services in exchange for money

: the state or condition of being with another person

: someone or something you spend time with or enjoy being with

See the full definition for company in the English Language Learners Dictionary

company

noun

com·pa·ny | \ ˈkəm-pə-nē

, ˈkəmp-nē\

plural companies

Kids Definition of company

1 : an association of persons operating a business

2 : the presence of someone who brings comfort I enjoy your company.

3 : a person or thing someone enjoys being with She's good company.

4 : a person's companions or associates You are known by the company you keep.

5 : guests or visitors especially at a person's home We have company.

6 : a group of persons or things Then the hurrying water … swept all the company of casks and tubs away …— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

7 : a body of soldiers

8 : a band of musical or dramatic performers an opera company

company

noun

com·pa·ny

plural companies

Legal Definition of company

: 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