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

He is also chief executive of TKO Group, the parent company of UFC and WWE.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Our capital position and liquidity remain strong, and our financial strength ratings are unchanged,” said Group 1001, the insurers’ parent company, in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.

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