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

Chile's forestry corporation said it "deeply regretted the incident and it was sending its solidarity to the families of the deceased".

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A BBC spokesperson said the corporation had accepted Lord Dyson's findings in full and publicly apologised for its part in the report's conclusions.

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Higher Treasury yields mean higher borrowing costs for everyone: corporations, consumers, the government.

Read more on MarketWatch

The issue with the episode was highlighted by an earlier Daily Telegraph report that cited a leaked BBC memo written by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the corporation's editorial standards committee.

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The corporation is funded in Britain by a licence fee payable by anyone who watches live television.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• business 
• company 
• enterprise