holding company

American  

noun

Finance.

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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Etymology

Origin of holding company

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Inter Ikea Group, the holding company that oversees Ikea, announced Monday that it was cutting 850 jobs, saying its organisation with 27,700 employees overall had grown too "complex".

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Marques also pitched another holding company: Samsung Life Insurance, which has a health and life insurance business and trades at about 50% of book value.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

The holding company continued to add restaurant brands, also acquiring Sonic Drive-In in 2018 and then Jimmy John’s a year later.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

It is against that backdrop that BlueCo - the holding company owned by Todd Boehly and his allies, along with majority investor Clearlake - are on trial with supporters.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

There, Duke announced his stunning plan: the men would weld their five companies into a single mammoth holding company.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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