corporate
Americanadjective
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of, for, or belonging to a corporation or corporations: She considers the new federal subsidy just corporate welfare.
a corporate executive;
She considers the new federal subsidy just corporate welfare.
-
forming a corporation.
-
pertaining to a united group, as of persons.
the corporate good.
-
united or combined into one.
noun
adjective
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forming a corporation; incorporated
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of or belonging to a corporation or corporations
corporate finance
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of or belonging to a united group; joint
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of corporate
First recorded in 1350–1400 for verb senses; 1505–15 for adjective senses; Middle English corporaten, from Latin corporātus, past participle of corporāre “to incorporate”; see incorporate 1
Explanation
Corporate means having to do with a corporation. Playing golf can be a part of corporate culture. A corporate jet is one owned by the company and used for company business. When people refer to corporate as a noun, as in "I have to ask corporate," it's actually just a shortening of "corporate headquarters." People tend to be on their best behavior at work, where money and advancement are on the line. Therefore, corporate behavior is often associated with being eager to please those in authority.
Vocabulary lists containing corporate
Body Language: Corp ("Body")
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Class Act
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The Skin I'm In
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reporting of quarterly earnings, notes corporate finance expert Owen Lamont of Acadian Asset Management, was “a bottom-up historical phenomenon reflecting voluntary arrangements between firms and investors, not a top-down phenomenon imposed by law.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
While Anthropic gets almost all of its revenue from corporate customers and is the market-share leader in that area, OpenAI caters to a larger swath of users.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
The appointment of companies like Kroll is typical in corporate bankruptcy proceedings.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Spreads on highly rated corporate bonds typically move by only a few basis points on a typical day.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
The end of the war brought an unceasing parade of high-profile visitors to Berkeley—military men, foreign dignitaries, important scientists from abroad—and a stream of invitations to join government commissions and corporate boards.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
