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

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use company in a sentence

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
Ajoutez cecy, s'il vous plaist, la grande difficult qu'il y a de tirer d'eux les mots mesmes qu'ils ont.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|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

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

company

OTHER WORDS FOR company

Idioms about company

Origin of company

synonym study for company

OTHER WORDS FROM company

Words related to company

How to use company in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for company

Word Origin for company

Other Idioms and Phrases with company