East India Company
Americannoun
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the company chartered by the English government in 1600 to carry on trade in the East Indies: dissolved in 1874.
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any similar company, as one chartered by the Dutch (1602–1798), the French (1664–1769), or the Danes (1729–1801).
noun
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the company chartered in 1600 by the British government to trade in the East Indies: after being driven out by the Dutch, it developed trade with India until the Indian Mutiny (1857), when the Crown took over the administration: the company was dissolved in 1874
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any similar trading company, such as any of those founded by the Dutch, French, and Danes in the 17th and 18th centuries
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 history of global corporations arguably began in 1600, when a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I granted the British East India Company a monopoly on Asian sea trade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
The shocking history of the East India Company, which transformed itself from an international trading company into an aggressive colonial power between 1600 and 1874, is a classic example.
From Salon • Sep. 29, 2024
Linnaeus Tripe arrived in India in 1839 at the age of 17, joining the Madras regiment of the East India Company.
From BBC • Aug. 31, 2024
The Dutch East India Company established Cape Town as a settlement for trading ships to pick up supplies on their way to and from Asia.
From Washington Times • Oct. 20, 2023
The managers of the East India Company bought 20,000 pounds of tea in 1687, confident the firm could sell the leaves in England.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
