- company
- com|pa|nyW1S1 [ˈkʌmpəni] n plural companies▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(business)¦2¦(other people)¦3¦(guests)¦4¦(friends)¦5¦(performers)¦6 be in good company7¦(GROUP)¦8 somebody and company9¦(army)¦10 two's company, three's a crowd▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: compagnie, from compain 'companion', from Late Latin companio; COMPANION]1.) ¦(BUSINESS)¦ [C also + plural verb British English]a business organization that makes or sells goods or services▪ Which company do you work for?▪ The company are hoping to expand their operations abroad.▪ In ten years, Jeff went from working in the mailroom to running the company .▪ The company was set up just after the war.▪ Insurance companies say they investigated 43,000 cases of fraud last year.▪ I called the phone company about the bill.▪ an independent record company▪ a multinational company specializing in sports equipment▪ a final draft of the company policy on the use of email for private purposes▪ Once again, company directors have awarded themselves a massive pay increase.2.) ¦(OTHER PEOPLE)¦[U]when you are with other people and not alone▪ The two men enjoy each other's company .▪ Rita's husband is away for the week, so I thought I'd go over and keep her company (=be with her so that she doesn't feel lonely) .▪ Come over for dinner - I could use the company (=would like to be with people) .▪ James is good company (=a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with) .as company▪ Bessie was glad to have the dog as company.in sb's company(=with someone)▪ I felt nervous in the company of such an important man.in company with sb(=together with another person or group)▪ He's performing in company with saxophonist Ernie Watts.3.) ¦(GUESTS)¦[U]people who are visiting you in your home▪ It looks like the Hammills have company .▪ We're expecting company this evening.4.) ¦(FRIENDS)¦[U]your friends or the group of people you spend time with▪ People judge you by the company you keep (=the people you spend time with) .▪ Things began to go wrong when he got into bad company .5.) ¦(PERFORMERS)¦a group of actors, dancers, or singers who work together▪ a theatre company▪ a touring company▪ the Kirov Ballet Company6.) be in good companyused to tell someone who has made a mistake that they should not be embarrassed because some important or respected people have made the same mistake▪ If you can't program the video recorder, you're in good company.7.) ¦(GROUP)¦[U] formala group of people who are together in the same place, often for a particular purpose or for social reasons▪ He glanced around at the assembled company .▪ Some jokes are just not appropriate to tell in mixed company (=in a group of both men and women) .in company(=when surrounded by other people, especially at a social occasion)▪ Parents should teach their children how to behave in company.8.) sb and company informalused after a person's name to mean that person and their friends▪ This has not stopped Senator Biden and company from trying to make it an issue in the election.9.) ¦(ARMY)¦a group of about 120 soldiers who are usually part of a larger group10.) two's company, three's a crowdused to suggest that two people would rather be alone together than have other people with them▬▬▬▬▬▬▬COLLOCATES for sense 1run a companyset up/start a companyjoin a company (=become an employee)a company goes bust/bankrupt (=stops doing business because it has lost too much money)record/oil/insurance/phone etc companymultinational company (=one that has offices in different countries)company policycompany director/executiveWORD FOCUS: companysimilar words: firm, businessa big company: corporation, multinational, conglomeratean Internet company: dot-coma company that is owned by a larger company: subsidiary, affiliateabbreviations used in company names: Ltd (=Limited)Co. (=Company)Corp. (=Corporation)PLC (=Public Limited Company) (BrE), Pty. (=Proprietary) (used in Australia and South Africa)See also: start-up3▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
