private company

American  

noun

British.

1. a company whose shareholders may not exceed 50 in number and whose shares may not be offered for public subscription.

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private company British  

noun

1. a limited company that does not issue shares for public subscription and whose owners do not enjoy an unrestricted right to transfer their shareholdings Compare public company

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Etymology

Origin of private company

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

When a private company plans to list on a public market, the S-1 is the initial filing the company submits to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The company’s investments in OpenAI are the largest-ever in a private company, $32 billion in 2025 and another $30 billion this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

However, Kenvah Solutions, the private company housing the migrants, told the BBC the migrants would only be allowed to stay at their facilities for two weeks and would then be sent to their home countries.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

The upcoming IPO -- short for initial public offering, when a private company sells shares to the public for the first time -- could be one of the biggest in history.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Moody’s, once a private company, had gone public in 2000.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis