English Explanatory Dictionary

company

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A team; a group of people who work together professionally.
  2. A group of individuals who work together for a common purpose.
  3. A unit of approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty soldiers, typically consisting of two or three platoons and forming part of a battalion.
  4. A unit of firefighters and their equipment.
  5. The entire crew of a ship.
  6. An intelligence service.
  7. A small group of birds or animals.
  8. An entity having legal personality, and thus able to own property and to sue and be sued in its own name; a corporation.
  9. Any business, whether incorporated or not, that manufactures or sells products (also known as goods), or provides services as a commercial venture.
  10. Social visitors or companions.
  11. adversaries, enemies, or rivals; unwanted company.
  12. Companionship.
verb
  1. To accompany, keep company with.
  2. To associate.
  3. To be a lively, cheerful companion.
  4. To have sexual intercourse.

Pronunciation

/ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/ en-uk-company.ogg /ˈkɒmp(ə)ni/ /ˈkʌmpəni/ en-us-company.ogg /ˈkəmp(ə)ni/ /ˈkɔmp(ə)ni/ /kəmˈpeni/

Word forms

company companies companie companying companied

Etymology

From Middle English companye (“a team; companionship”), from Old French compaignie (“companionship”) (Modern French: compagnie), possibly from Late Latin *compania, but this word is not attested. Old French compaignie is equivalent to Old French compaignon (Modern French: compagnon) + -ie. More at companion. Displaced native Old English werod, gefer, getæl, and hired.

Synonyms

association companionship fellowship organization society business company enterprise firm corporation friendship mateship have sex make love attend escort go with fornicate

Related words

accompany companion discompany

Derived words

a man is known by the company he keeps and company bad company biocompany blank check company bubble company community interest company companization company car company clinic company doctor company front company law company man company officer company register company seal company sergeant major company-specific company store company time company town company union companywide compliance company daughter company fish and company stink after three days freight operating company ghost company in-company in company with intercompany intracompany keep company keep someone company letterbox company limited company mailbox company megacompany merry company misery enjoys company misery loves company multicompany noncompany oil company part company present company excepted private limited liability company public limited company public limited liability company record company shell company shipping company subcompany supercompany telco the company touring company two's company and three is none two's company, three's a crowd
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