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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.

a number of individuals assembled or associated together; group of people.

a guest or guests: We're having company for dinner.

an assemblage of persons for social purposes.

companionship; fellowship; association: I always enjoy her company.

one's usual companions: I don't like the company he keeps.

society collectively.

a number of persons united or incorporated for joint action, especially for business: a publishing company; a dance company.

(initial capital letter) the members of a firm not specifically named in the firm's title: George Higgins and Company.

Military.

the smallest body of troops, consisting of a headquarters and two or three platoons.
any relatively small group of soldiers.
Army. a basic unit with both tactical and administrative functions.

a unit of firefighters, including their special apparatus: a hook-and-ladder company.

Also called ship's company. a ship's crew, including the officers.

a medieval trade guild.

the Company, Informal. a nation's major intelligence-gathering and espionage organization, as the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR company

1 group, assemblage, body.

3 gathering, crowd.

6 firm, house, corporation.

See synonyms for company on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR COMPANY

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With so many rules, capitalization is perfect for a game show. Will you learn something new or take the prize?

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about company

keep company,

to associate with; be a friend of.
Informal. to go together, as in courtship: My sister has been keeping company with a young lawyer.

part company,

to cease association or friendship with: We parted company 20 years ago after the argument.
to take a different or opposite view; differ: He parted company with his father on politics.
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

Words nearby company

companion planting, companion set, companionship, companion star, companionway, company, company doctor, company grade, company man, company manners, company officer

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.

Did you know ... ?

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.

I think Brandi is pretty great. She’s the defacto top woman in the company and has multiple roles to play, which she does well. If she’s not the best in-ring worker, she can draw on some amazing talent to teach her.

— David Smalley (@SmalleyDa) September 22, 2020

I hate this company with all my heart. I wish they would just fire me.

— 🤍 (@anibayih) June 18, 2020

I received a present from my pet supply company! @chewy These are gorgeous hand painted pictures of my pets from @KendraAldrich I am beside myself with glee. Thank You! Now, all I need is a matching one of my snuggle baby to complete my set. 🥰 #happybirthdaytome #petportraits pic.twitter.com/SV38aAN6ko

— Brianna Miller (@BriannaM0929) September 22, 2020

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

By the time it was over, the company was worth over $80 billion.
Breaking down why Snowflake's massive IPO stood out from the stock market froth|Dan Primack|September 17, 2020|Axios
If you want to manage a big company, you probably need to spend the whole of your time managing a big company.
Christian Puglisi Is Closing His Influential Copenhagen Restaurants. COVID Is Only Partly to Blame|Rafael Tonon|September 17, 2020|Eater
The entertainment company will join a growing number of employers giving workers the option to do the same, including Old Navy and Patagonia.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Facebook also removed a number of accounts as part of what the company said is an ongoing investigation.
Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter|Isaac Stanley-Becker|September 15, 2020|Washington Post

BuzzFeed currently has in the neighborhood of 100 active brand licensing deals and is expecting that the sales from this business will be up by more than 40% year over year, according to a company spokesperson.
‘Finding their sweet spot’: How publishers are quickly becoming large global licensors|Kayleigh Barber|September 14, 2020|Digiday
Through his company, consumers will be able to cheaply make custom DNA strands, including what Heinz calls “creatures.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The cyber attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment was not just an attack against a company and its employees,” he said.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tinder and OkCupid are both owned by IAC, the parent company of The Daily Beast.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Reprinted by arrangement with The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As company after company appeared, we were able to form a pretty exact estimate of their numbers.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
No, Sir, said the other, nothing at all except the enjoyment of your good company: and so gave over importuning him.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
I assured him I was well refreshed with his good entertainment and company, and as much in my senses as ever I was in my life.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
One Turkish Company, about a hundred strong, was making an ugly push within rifle shot of our ship.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
With this company he had rendered valiant service in the campaign which ended with the battle of Pea Ridge.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for company

company

/ (ˈkʌmpənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

a number of people gathered together; assembly

the fact of being with someone; companionshipI enjoy her company

a social visitor or visitors; guest or guests

a business enterprise

the members of an enterprise not specifically mentioned in the enterprise's titleAbbreviation: Co, co

a group of actors, usually including business and technical personnel

a unit of around 100 troops, usually comprising two or more platoons

the officers and crew of a ship

a unit of Girl Guides

English history a medieval guild

keep company or bear company

to accompany (someone)
(esp of lovers) to associate with each other; spend time together

part company

to end a friendship or association, esp as a result of a quarrel; separate
(foll by with) to leave; go away (from); be separated (from)

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

In addition to the idioms beginning with company

company man
company manners

also see:

keep someone company
misery loves company
part company
two's company

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