corporation

noun

cor·po·ra·tion | \ ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən

Definition of corporation

1a : a group of merchants or traders united in a trade guild (see guild sense 1)

b : the municipal authorities of a town or city

2 : a body formed and authorized by law to act as a single person although constituted by one or more persons and legally endowed with various rights and duties including the capacity of succession

3 : an association of employers and employees in a basic industry or of members of a profession organized as an organ of political representation in a corporative state

4 : potbelly sense 1

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about corporation

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of corporation in a Sentence

He works as a consultant for several large corporations. a substantial corporation that showed that he was a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets

Recent Examples on the Web

Worship of military service has become an indispensable cog in every politician’s and corporation’s endearment strategy. — Adam Weinstein, The New Republic, "Most Veterans Say America’s Wars Are a Waste. No One’s Listening to Them.," 12 July 2019 Mayor McCowan and the corporation’s board of directors opposed a formal inquiry, Proctor said. — Miles Moffeit Elvia Limón, Dallas News, "Tax funds stolen by her husband helped a DeSoto councilwoman. Why didn't authorities fully investigate?," 12 July 2019 For one thing, a carbon tax is actually a conservative idea and has support from many large corporations as well as economists and influential D.C. think tanks. — Justin Worland, Time, "'Anything That Moves the Ball Forward.' Some Green New Deal Supporters Back Carbon Tax, Too," 12 July 2019 The link between Epstein and Wexner and his corporations is detailed in financial filings going back to the mid-1990s. — Stephen Gandel, CBS News, "Victoria's Secret parent company's stock down as Jeffrey Epstein ties emerge," 11 July 2019 The tax would affect about 1,200 corporations and raise approximately $1 trillion over 10 years, Warren said. — Christina Prignano, BostonGlobe.com, "Elizabeth Warren says she has a plan for that. Here’s a running list," 11 July 2019 Earlier this year, according to the lawsuit, Bruce Pettway provided consulting services to Brighton Ventures and Brighton Ventures II, both Jefferson County corporation that have licenses to conduct bingo operations issued by the City of Brighton. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al.com, "Alabama sheriff’s brother sues Attorney General over $240,000 seized in bingo feud," 10 July 2019 Often, mineral rights are hard to find and frequently change hands between large corporations. — Jeremy P. Jacobs, Science | AAAS, "Are dinosaur fossils ‘minerals’? The Montana Supreme Court will decide high stakes case," 10 July 2019 Unlike many American corporations, companies in industries like steel, aluminum, lumber and home appliances asked Mr. Trump to raise tariffs or backed his trade policies. — Peter Eavis, New York Times, "These Companies Wanted Tariffs. How Are They Faring Now?," 10 July 2019

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

History and Etymology for corporation

Middle English corporacion "organization into a body politic, an organized body of people," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French corporacion, borrowed from Late Latin corporātiōn-, corporātiō (Latin, "physical makeup"), from Latin corporāre "to form into a body" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at corporate

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about corporation

Dictionary Entries near corporation

Statistics for corporation

Last Updated

16 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for corporation

The first known use of corporation was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for corporation

corporation

noun

Financial Definition of corporation

What It Is

A corporation is one of many ways to formally organize a business. Structuring a business as a corporation has a number of important legal requirements and consequences that impact investors.

How It Works

A corporation is also sometimes referred to as a "C Corp." The "C" refers to the section of the IRS code that governs corporate taxes. Corporations have several distinguishing characteristics:

1. A corporation is owned by shareholders, and their ownership is represented by shares of stock.
2. A corporation has a board of directors, which is a group of people elected by the shareholders to oversee the corporation's management. The board of directors is elected to make decisions that are in the best interest of the shareholders.
3. A corporation has an unlimited life; that is, corporations don't die or expire unless a) the shareholders decide to intentionally dissolve the corporation or b) a corporation is unable to pay its debts and is forced into bankruptcy.
4. Shareholders have limited liability. That is, the liabilities of the corporation do not extend to the shareholders. If the corporation goes bankrupt or defaults on a loan, lenders cannot repossess shareholders' personal assets or try to force shareholders to repay the company's debts.
5. Corporations pay taxes on their income, even if they distribute some of that income directly to the shareholders via dividend payments. This leads to the controversial "double taxation."
6. Corporations are legal entities that exist separate and apart from their shareholders. In fact, they are usually afforded the legal rights of an individual person. That is, they can own assets, borrow money and sue or be sued.

Why It Matters

It's important to understand the characteristics of corporations because if you have money in the stock market, you are a shareholder and part owner of the corporations whose stock you own.

Corporations are the most popular form of business structure in the U.S. because of the limited liability protection. If the corporation can't pay back its loans, your shares will lose value (perhaps 100% of their value), but you as a shareholder are not responsible for paying back the debts. A shareholder cannot lose more than 100% of his or her investment.

If the corporation makes a profit, your shares in that company will become more valuable because as a shareholder, you're entitled to your portion of the net income. In fact, one of the main goals of a corporation's employees is to maximize shareholder value; that is, to work on behalf of the owners in order to enrich them as much as possible.

The corporate structure is not appropriate for every business. Corporations are highly governed, regulated and taxed when compared to other business forms (sole proprietorships or partnerships). This makes them more expensive to operate and conduct business. One of the largest complaints about the corporate structure is that profits are taxed twice: the corporation must pay income taxes and shareholders must pay income taxes on that same income if they receive a dividend payout (double taxation).

Source: Investing Answers

corporation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of corporation

: a large business or organization that under the law has the rights and duties of an individual and follows a specific purpose

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

corporation

noun

cor·po·ra·tion | \ ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən

Kids Definition of corporation

: a business or organization authorized by law to carry on an activity with the rights and duties of a single person

Keep scrolling for more

corporation

noun

cor·po·ra·tion | \ ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən

Legal Definition of corporation

: an invisible, intangible, artificial creation of the law existing as a voluntary chartered association of individuals that has most of the rights and duties of natural persons but with perpetual existence and limited liability — see also pierce — compare association, partnership, sole proprietorship

— benefit corporation

: a for-profit corporation whose purpose is to provide a benefit to society (such as improving the environment or promoting good health) in addition to making a profit for shareholders

— called also B corporation, public benefit corporation

— C corporation

: a corporation that pays taxes as a corporate entity — compare S corporation in this entry

Note: A corporation that does not choose to be an S corporation under the Internal Revenue Code is a C corporation.

— close corporation \ ˈklōs- \

: a corporation whose shares are held by a small number of individuals (as management) and not publicly traded specifically : small business corporation in this entry

— called also closely held corporation

— compare public corporation in this entry

— foreign corporation

: a corporation organized under the laws of a state or government other than that in which it is doing business

— government corporation

: public corporation in this entry

— moneyed corporation

: a corporation (as a bank) authorized to engage in the investment, exchange, or lending of moneyed capital

— municipal corporation

: a political unit created or otherwise given corporate status (as by a charter) by a superior governing authority (as a state) and endowed with powers of local self-government (as eminent domain) broadly : a public corporation (as a utility) created to act as an agency of administration and local self-government

Note: As a result of its incorporation, a municipal corporation has the capacity to sue and be sued. Citizens as well as officials are usually considered part of a municipal corporation.

— professional corporation

: a corporation organized by one or more licensed individuals (as a doctor or lawyer) to provide professional services and obtain tax advantages

— public corporation

1 : a government-owned corporation (as a utility or railroad) engaged in a profit-making enterprise that may require the exercise of powers unique to government (as eminent domain)

— called also government corporation, publicly held corporation

2 : a business corporation whose stocks are publicly traded

— called also publicly held corporation

— compare close corporation in this entry

— S corporation

: a small business corporation that is treated for federal tax purposes as a partnership

— called also subchapter S corporation

— compare c corporation in this entry

— shell corporation

1 : a corporation that exists as a legal entity without independent assets or operations as an instrument by which another company or corporation can carry out dealings usually unrelated to its primary business

2 : a corporation formed for purposes of tax evasion or acquisition or merger rather than for a legitimate business purpose

— small business corporation

: a corporation described in section 1361 of the Internal Revenue Code that has 35 shareholders or less and only one class of stock and that may if eligible elect to be an S corporation and taxed accordingly

— subchapter S corporation

: s corporation in this entry