corporation
- an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- (initial capital letter) the group of principal officials of a borough or other municipal division in England.
- any group of persons united or regarded as united in one body.
- Informal. a paunch; potbelly.
Origin of corporation
Usage note
Related Words
businesscompanypartnershipsocietyenterpriseassociationclanshellzoocrowdhookupjunglecrewgangsyndicatemobringoutfitbunchoctopusExamples from the Web for corporation
Contemporary Examples
Indeed, the Japanese-owned corporation has set a horrible precedent.
Kim Jong Un, Avert Your Eyes: Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Gets the Porn Parody TreatmentAurora Snow
December 20, 2014
A 1907 contract leases the plot of land to the Belgika corporation for five years, but it stayed for much longer.
The QC Group Inc A Minnesota-based corporation, owned by Daniel Medford and David DeVowe, which provides quality control services.
The cult of corporatism allows us to reimagine the corporation as our ultimate access point to the infinitude of possibility.
Nobody doubts his manipulative skills or his single-minded agenda to advance the interests of the corporation he created.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror MachineClive Irving
August 25, 2014
Historical Examples
The corporation for pecuniary gain has neither body nor soul.
The Railroad QuestionWilliam Larrabee
The Corporation of Dublin is red-hot in the matter of patriotism.
Ireland as It IsRobert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
Creditors pursued him, and he lost his standing in the Corporation.
William ShakespeareSamuel Levy Bensusan
The chair is still preserved by the corporation of that town.
Bygone PunishmentsWilliam Andrews
The civic duties of the corporation, too, were sharply defined.
HolbeinBeatrice Fortescue
corporation
- a group of people authorized by law to act as a legal personality and having its own powers, duties, and liabilities
- Also called: municipal corporation the municipal authorities of a city or town
- a group of people acting as one body
- See public corporation
- informal a large paunch or belly
Word Origin and History for corporation
n.
mid-15c., "persons united in a body for some purpose," from such use in Anglo-Latin, from Late Latin corporationem (nominative corporatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin corporare "to embody" (see corporate). Meaning "legally authorized entity" (including municipal governments and modern business companies) is from 1610s.
corporation
A business organization owned by a group of stockholders, each of whom enjoys limited liability (that is, each can be held responsible for losses only up to the limit of his or her investment). A corporation has the ability to raise capital by selling stock to the public.