joint-stock company
Americannoun
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an association of individuals in a business enterprise with transferable shares of stock, much like a corporation except that stockholders are liable for the debts of the business.
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British. an incorporated business with transferable shares and with shareholders having either limited or unlimited liability for debts of the business.
noun
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a business enterprise characterized by its separate legal existence and the sharing of ownership between shareholders, whose liability is limited
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a business enterprise whose owners are issued shares of transferable stock but do not enjoy limited liability
Etymology
Origin of joint-stock company
First recorded in 1800–10
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.
One of Mr. White’s most compelling findings describes what may have been the first black joint-stock company in the United States.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
It is transforming itself into a joint-stock company, unravelling an arcane structure that had caused strife with shareholders.
From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2021
The next year, it abandoned the principle of collective ownership, converting itself into a joint-stock company that went on to become a major silverware manufacturer.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 26, 2016
A big advantage of owning a bit of a joint-stock company is limited liability: if the firm goes bust, its shareholders do not have to pay its debts.
From Economist ● Jun. 13, 2013
Society is a joint-stock company in which the members agree, for the better securing of the bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.
From Rough-Hewn by Dorothy Canfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
