corporate

adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rət 

1

a

: formed into an association and endowed by law with the rights and liabilities of an individual : incorporated

b

: of or relating to a corporation

a plan to reorganize the corporate structure

c

: of, relating to, or being the large corporations of a country or region considered as a unit

the latest trend in corporate America

d

: having qualities (such as commercialism or lack of originality) associated with large corporations or attributed to their influence or control

corporate rock music

corporate art

2

: of, relating to, or formed into a unified body of individuals

Human law arises by the corporate action of a people …

—George H. Sabine

3

: corporative sense 2

corporately adverb

Synonyms

• commercial
• marketable
• mass-market
• salable
• saleable

Examples of corporate in a Sentence

We have to change the corporate structure to survive.

A bunch of corporate types in suits were sitting at the table in the conference room.

He is one of the most powerful men in corporate America.

The business is a corporate entity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Samuels said the biggest challenges in the coming years will be to convince advertisers not to pigeonhole the company as a niche buy, especially given the Trump administration’s shameless bullying of corporate America on any activities focused on diversity, civil rights or equity considerations. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025

For The 1st Time — At Lower Prices Company History Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, was established in 2015 as part of a corporate restructuring to better manage Google's diverse ventures. —Adam Sarhan, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Google earnings up next A slate of corporate results arrive Thursday, with earnings already in from Procter & Gamble (PG), Merck (MRK), PepsiCo (PEP), Union Pacific (UNP), and Comcast (CMCSA). —Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025

Nvidia is also not seeing signs of a slowdown, said Josh Parker, the chipmaker’s senior director of corporate sustainability. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin corporātus, past participle of corporāre "to form into a body, form (an organized social group)," verbal derivative of corpor-, corpus "body, organized group of people" — more at midriff

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing corporate

• anti-corporate
• body corporate
• corporate conglomeration
• corporate ladder
• corporate welfare
• corporate-wide
• inter-corporate

Kids Definition

corporate

adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rət 

1

a

: formed into a corporation

b

: of, relating to, or being a corporation

take corporate action

2

: of, relating to, or being a whole composed of individuals

united together and took corporate action

corporately adverb

Legal Definition

corporate

1 of 2 adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-pə-rət 

: of or relating to a business corporation

corporate

2 of 2 noun

: a bond issued by a business corporation