public company

American  

noun

British.

1. a company that has more than 50 shareholders and whose shares are offered for public subscription.

---

public company British  

noun

1. a limited company whose shares may be purchased by the public and traded freely on the open market and whose share capital is not less than a statutory minimum; public limited company Compare private company

---

public company Cultural  

1. A company that sells shares in itself to the public to raise capital. When a previously privately owned company offers shares, it is said to “go public.”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public company

CXMT, the Chinese memory-chip producer, on Friday reported its first financials as a public company that showed that how much it is benefiting from surge in artificial-intelligence services lifting prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

As I reported at the time of the Intel investment, the government’s taking an equity stake in a public company isn’t unprecedented.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The stock is on pace for its largest percent increase since June 15, SpaceX’s first full day as a public company, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Shares were up 15.8% when the market closed on Friday, marking the stock’s largest one-day percentage increase since SpaceX’s first full day as a public company on June 15, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

When my father took me to Italy, I continued averse to public company.

From Thaddeus of Warsaw by Jane Porter