corporation

[kawr-puh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. 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.

2. Corporation, the group of principal officials of a borough or other municipal division in England.

3. any group of persons united or regarded as united in one body.

4. Informal.,  a paunch; potbelly.

corporation

/ ˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. a group of people authorized by law to act as a legal personality and having its own powers, duties, and liabilities

2. Also called: municipal corporation. the municipal authorities of a city or town

3. a group of people acting as one body

4. See public corporation

5. informal,  a large paunch or belly

corporation

1. 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.

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Other Word Forms

• corporational adjective
• multicorporation noun
• noncorporation noun
• subcorporation noun
• supercorporation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corporation¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin corporātiōn- (stem of corporātiō ) “guild,” Latin: “physical makeup, build”; corporate, -ion

Example Sentences

The only buyer at the auction was a corporation that paid so little that Marce barely recouped the cost of his train ticket.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The global impact of the failure revealed dangerous over-reliance on a handful of wealthy corporations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He doesn’t have to submit to Congress because he’s tapping rich individuals and corporations for the cost.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In its general election manifesto last year, Labour promised not to increase income tax, VAT and corporation tax, limiting the government's options to raise revenue.

Read more on BBC

Nations and corporations that dominate AI may end up controlling not only knowledge but the arteries of global trade.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• business 
• company 
• enterprise