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Synonyms

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).


holding company British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

holding company Cultural  
  1. A company that controls other companies.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of holding company

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

This is the holding company of the Westons - a wealthy and retail-steeped Canadian family who used to own Selfridges and currently own several large retailers across the Atlantic.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

On Thursday, the holding company of construction magnate Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, which holds 13.5 percent, said it would oppose a rival plan that has been put forward by MPS management.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

It also argued that shareholders of listed Tata companies are indirectly affected by Tata Sons' decisions, even though they have no direct voting rights in the holding company.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The helicopter was owned by Tiny Bubbles Aviation Inc., a holding company with a business address listed at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, according to state and FAA records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The short-term wins for the United States and United Kingdom included regaining limited access to Iran's oil by having a stake in a holding company called Iranian Oil Participants, or IOP.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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