private company

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noun British.

a company whose shareholders may not exceed 50 in number and whose shares may not be offered for public subscription.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare public company.

Origin of private company

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby private company

privatdocent, private, private bar, private bill, private brand, private company, private detective, private enterprise, private equity, private-equity company, private equity fund

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use private company in a sentence

Academic researchers, bioethicists and scientists at private companies, such as IBM and Facebook, are discussing these questions among themselves.
Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity?|Laura Sanders|February 11, 2021|Science News
The right, meanwhile, is largely concerned with claims of censorship, and believes that private companies should be forced into a stance of political neutrality to protect conservative speech.
How a Democratic plan to reform Section 230 could backfire|Bobbie Johnson|February 8, 2021|MIT Technology Review
NASA’s collaboration with SpaceX also represented the next evolution in human spaceflight, as the government works with private companies to design and build spacecraft and rockets.
Rocket startup Astra to go public in race for commercial space|Hamza Shaban|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
The flight announced Monday would mark another significant milestone in the privatization of spaceflight, as private companies erode governments’ long-held monopoly on human spaceflight.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX announces a spaceflight intended to raise money for St. Jude hospital|Christian Davenport|February 1, 2021|Washington Post

The transition has been, at times, tumultuous, as private companies suffer failures with potentially serious consequences but don’t always report them publicly.
Virgin Galactic ordered safety probe after wing of spacecraft was damaged during 2019 flight, book says|Christian Davenport|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Should it even be up to a private company to influence government policy?
Alibaba’s Dark Side: Censoring Customers|Brendon Hong|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After 57 years of continuous operation, the theater closed, was sold to a private company, and scheduled for demolition.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And if conservatives are against the private company in the case of Chipotle, are they suddenly for government?
The Chipotle Anti-Gun ‘Scandal’ Has the Right Up in Arms|Sally Kohn|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I'd prefer that this hypothetical healthcare Sam Walton be a private company operating in a competitive marketplace.
Somebody Has to Drive Down Healthcare Costs|David Frum|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Kia: Male Fantasy Year: 2012 Ad Meter Score: 7.75 Kellogg Grade: B Share Price Change: 0.95 percent* *Private company 18.
20 Most Effective Super Bowl Ads (VIDEO)|Lauren Streib|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
While the islands were leased to a private company the beaches were patrolled by riflemen.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
On the other hand, I never yet heard of a private company seeking a franchise without doing so more or less openly.
The Common Sense of Socialism|John Spargo
The government does not try to compel you to write letters any more than the private company tries to compel you to send packages.
The Common Sense of Socialism|John Spargo
I have never found in England a private company having any inspection whatsoever of dangerous industries.
Proceedings, Third National Conference Workmen's Compensation for Industrial Accidents|Various
On the other hand, the work of a private company on the line leading towards Manchuria is making little headway.
Empires and Emperors of Russia, China, Korea, and Japan|Pter Vay

British Dictionary definitions for private company

private company

noun

a limited company that does not issue shares for public subscription and whose owners do not enjoy an unrestricted right to transfer their shareholdingsCompare public 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