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

Beacon is a holding company that acquires software companies, injects them with artificial intelligence and rolls them up into a portfolio to hold indefinitely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The real-estate investments gave him firepower to expand into a multibillion-dollar holding company overseeing everything from dental offices to insurance.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 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

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