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

Large corporations have teams mapping out AI strategies and deploying the new technologies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He claims the corporation and its journalists are corrupt.

Read more on BBC

The editing row comes at a politically sensitive time for the BBC, which is due to renegotiate the Royal Charter that outlines the corporation's governance.

Read more on Barron's

Their demands include "reparations" for damage caused by corporations and governments, especially to marginalized communities.

Read more on Barron's

Chinese hackers used Anthropic’s AI to automate cyberattacks that targeted corporations and governments, the company said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• business 
• company 
• enterprise