company man

American  

noun

1. an employee whose allegiance to his employer comes before personal beliefs or loyalty to fellow workers.

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company man British  

noun

1. an employee who puts allegiance to the company for which he works above personal opinion or friendship

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company man Idioms  

1. A male worker more loyal to management than to his fellow workers; also, one who informs on fellow employees. For example, He'll never join in a strike; he's a company man. Dating from the 1920s, a period of considerable labor unrest, this term uses company in the sense of “a business concern” and was often applied as a criticism by supporters of labor unions.

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Etymology

Origin of company man

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

company man

Instead, he seemed a good, flustered company man anxiously determined to be normal—like Dick Van Dyke, perhaps, or Bob Newhart—while remaining very funny indeed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Mancunian has played the devoted company man and should now be rewarded, although two-time title challenger Gane will not be an easy first defence.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025

LeBron James signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Nike at the age of 18, partially due to Jordan’s company man counsel, and currently endorses Taco Bell, Pepsi and Louis Vuitton.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2024

Sean Hannity, for his part, is the consummate company man, a necessary force of continuity in the network’s prime-time lineup.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2023

“Dubonnet’s a union rabble-rouser. I don’t want you talking to him anymore. I’m a company man, and that makes you a company boy, understand?”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam