holding company

American  

noun

Finance.

• holding companies
  plural

1. a company that controls other companies through stock ownership but that usually does not engage directly in their productive operations (distinguished from parent company).

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holding company British  

noun

1. a company with controlling shareholdings in one or more other companies

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holding company Cultural  

1. A company that controls other companies.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• holding companies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of holding company

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

holding company

The holding company owns EquiTrust, an insurer previously controlled by Guggenheim, and Heritage Life, also once operated by Guggenheim and until recently owned by Patton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The Del Vecchio family's Luxembourg-based holding company, Delfin, is the largest shareholder in the eyewear giant, with around 32.4 percent of its capital.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

While the holding company can argue that it is not publicly traded, what happens there has a direct impact on shareholders of the listed Tata universe, she adds.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The permanence of sports franchises were behind the formation of Kushner’s Thrive Eternal venture, a permanent holding company launched under Thrive Capital in April.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

In fact, Duke’s interest in his giant holding company waned soon after its creation.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• conglomerate
• consortium
• corporation
• gang
• mob
• monopoly
• ring
• syndicate