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

But since then, Big Ag has fought back, and by some measures the problems caused by corporate consolidation have only gotten worse. —Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

Currently, more than 610 corporate employees, or around 25% of the staff at H&R Block’s headquarters, work remotely. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

There are smaller proportion of women on corporate boards and in parliament than in most other affluent countries. —Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024

Gold made the Forbes 400 list in 2002, with 142 stores in his fast-growing chain, no corporate debt and a personal fortune estimated at $650 million. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Shareholder meetings: Dimon had strong words for activist investors who use shareholder meetings to engage in a campaign to influence corporate actions. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Christy grew up in White Sulphur Springs and became a fourth-generation employee after college, eventually working her way up to conference services manager, organizing massive corporate expos at the resort. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024

Policymakers allowed the wage gap to widen, the analysis says, by failing to raise the federal minimum wage, tolerating excessive unemployment and allowing corporate globalization, among other factors. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

In the aftermath of the George Floyd-era racial justice reckoning, a number of corporate organizations and VC firms pledged to make diversity a top priority. —Pauleanna Reid, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

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