parent company

American  

noun

• parent companies
  plural

1. a corporation or other business enterprise that owns controlling interests in one or more subsidiary companies (distinguished from holding company).

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parent company British  

noun

1. a company that owns more than half the shares of another company

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• parent companies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of parent company

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parent company

As it celebrates its 60th year in business, together with its parent company Terex, they are looking at how their workforce has changed and diversified.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

This past Saturday, the chief scientist of Google’s parent company joined them in supporting a coordinated industry slowdown, a move urged by more than 1,000 employees of AI companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Michigan health authorities were in touch with Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum!

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Last month, ABC and its parent company Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court against the FCC.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026

My team and I persuaded Darden Restaurants, the parent company behind chains like Olive Garden and Red Lobster, to make changes to the kinds of food it offered and how it was prepared.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama