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

The Tata Group is uniquely structured - a charitable arm called Tata Trusts owns 66% of the group's parent company, Tata Sons.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

No decision has been made on Romo’s long-term future at the network, Berson told journalists at the network’s annual press briefing on the NFL season at parent company Paramount’s New York headquarters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The parent company of FanDuel on Wednesday said Jackson is being replaced by Dan Taylor, the company’s president and its international division’s CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

ProPublica’s investigation found FCC members had long enjoyed a night out at the Kennedy Center courtesy of CBS or its parent company.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 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