incorporation
Americannoun
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the act of incorporating or the state of being incorporated.
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the act of forming a legal corporation.
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Grammar. the inclusion of the object or object reference within the inflected verb form, a type of word-formation frequent in American Indian languages.
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Psychoanalysis. the adoption of the views or characteristics of others, occurring in children as part of learning and maturation and in adults as a defense mechanism.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of incorporation
1350–1400; Middle English incorporacioun < Late Latin incorporātiōn- (stem of incorporātiō ), equivalent to incorporāt ( us ) ( see incorporate 1) + -iōn -ion
Explanation
Incorporation is making something part of a whole. The incorporation of egg yolks into a hot liquid must be done slowly so the eggs don't curdle. Incorporation can also refer to making a company a legal corporation, and the "Inc." after many company names stands for "Incorporated." If you're starting a new business, you should look into the laws regarding incorporation in your state, to see if incorporating would make sense for you. When territory is acquired and taken into a larger body, that's also incorporation. The incorporation of your small neighborhood park into the county parks system will help preserve it as a green space.
Vocabulary lists containing incorporation
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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Protecting Civil Liberties, Sections 1–4
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We'll Fly Away
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ireland's statistics office, the CSO, said Thursday the exceptional revision was due to the incorporation of data related to multinational companies, which carry significant weight in the Irish economy.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Since city capybaras are there to stay, Ibama recommends fences, river cleanup, and “the incorporation of wildlife into urban planning.”
From Slate • May 27, 2026
The South East's oldest brewery, based on the year of incorporation, is Oxfordshire's Hook Norton.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
The idea behind the liberty city movement in Texas, especially for small rural cities, was to promote incorporation for basic public services at low cost.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
When a major fire ravaged the old wooden town, he helped to found the Massachusetts Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and his name was first to appear on its charter of incorporation.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
