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company

[ kuhm-puh-nee ]
/ ˈkʌm pə ni /
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See synonyms for: company / companied / companies / companying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural com·pa·nies.
verb (used without object), com·pa·nied, com·pa·ny·ing.
Archaic. to associate.
verb (used with object), com·pa·nied, com·pa·ny·ing.
Archaic. to accompany.

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Idioms about company

    keep company,
    1. to associate with; be a friend of.
    2. Informal. to go together, as in courtship: My sister has been keeping company with a young lawyer.
    part company,
    1. to cease association or friendship with: We parted company 20 years ago after the argument.
    2. to take a different or opposite view; differ: He parted company with his father on politics.
    3. to separate: We parted company at the airport.

Origin of company

1200–50; Middle English <Anglo-French; Old French compaignie companionship, equivalent to compain (<Late Latin compāniō;see companion1) + -ie-y3

synonym study for company

1. Company, band, party, troop refer to a group of people formally or informally associated. Company is the general word and means any group of people: a company of motorists. Band, used especially of a band of musicians, suggests a relatively small group pursuing the same purpose or sharing a common fate: a concert by a band; a band of survivors. Party, except when used of a political group, usually implies an indefinite and temporary assemblage, as for some common pursuit: a spelunking party. Troop, used specifically of a body of cavalry, usually implies a number of individuals organized as a unit: a troop of cavalry.

OTHER WORDS FROM company

com·pa·ny·less, adjectivein·ter·com·pa·ny, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT COMPANY

What does company mean?

Company refers to a group of people.

Company is a common word with many different specific meanings, but they all have to do with a gathering of people or interaction among a group of people.

The word company perhaps most commonly refers to a business. Energizer is a company that makes and sells batteries. When company is used in the name of a business, it is often abbreviated as Co.

Company can be the guests you have over to your house. It can also refer to the presence of others: enjoying the company of your cousins.

Example: Sarah likes to walk home from school in the company of her best friend, Joe.

Where does company come from?

The first records of the word company come from around 1200. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin compāniō, meaning “bread fellow.” Companion comes from the same source. Like companion, company has to do with people interacting with each other.

Company is used generally to mean a group of people gathered together. A parent may not like the company (friends) that their child keeps. Company can also be used to mean specific groups of people.

Company can refer to a small unit within the military or a larger group of firefighters. A ship’s crew is also a company.

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What are some other forms related to company?

  • companies (plural noun)
  • companyless (adjective)
  • intercompany (adjective)

What are some synonyms for company?

What are some words that share a root or word element with company

What are some words that often get used in discussing company?

How is company used in real life?

Company is most often used to mean a business or the people someone surrounds themself with.

 

 

Try using company!

Is company used correctly in the following sentence?

The loner superhero preferred the company of bats to other people.

How to use company in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for company

company
/ (ˈkʌmpənɪ) /

noun plural -nies
verb -nies, -nying or -nied
archaic to keep company or associate (with someone)

Word Origin for company

C13: from Old French compaignie, from compain companion, fellow, from Late Latin compāniō; see companion 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with company

company

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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