closed corporation

American  

noun

1. an incorporated business the stock of which is owned by a small group.

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closed corporation British  

noun

1. Also: close corporation. a corporation the stock of which is owned by a small number of persons and is rarely traded on the open market

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

closed corporation

But last week Marshall Field & Co., following the lead of many another closed corporation, decided to let a portion of its stock pass to the public.

From Time Magazine Archive

When others have tried to board the subsidy liner, "Club 13" has seemed a closed corporation; three applications have been pending before the board for three years or more, with no action.

From Time Magazine Archive

And closemouthed Carl celebrated his wonder machine's tenth anniversary by giving out the nearest thing yet to a financial statement for his closed corporation.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tycoons, who had run the islands for generations as their closed corporation, fought stubbornly and bitterly.

From Time Magazine Archive

With only his model to prove his claims, the inventor had managed to sell all the stock; and from the very beginning the operations would be carried out by a closed corporation.

From The She Boss A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins