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

A Vienna-based fiduciary and aviation holding company called SecuTrust owns stakes in both companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

I asked Fernando De Leon, the billionaire founder of Leon Capital Group, a holding company overseeing about a dozen different businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Lupa Systems, the media and tech holding company owned by James Murdoch, is set to acquire nearly half of Vox Media.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

He and his two younger sisters currently share control of a holding company that has a 95% stake in Mango.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

He generally liked me, tended to treat me, I thought, as he might some rising young VP in his Boston-based holding company, alternatingly coddling and browbeating me.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

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