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definitions

parent company

noun

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

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Nearby words

  1. parenchymatous neuritis,
  2. parens,
  3. parens.,
  4. parent,
  5. parent cell,
  6. parent compound,
  7. parent cyst,
  8. parent language,
  9. parent metal,
  10. parent teacher association

Origin of parent company

First recorded in 1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for parent company

parent company

noun

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