private company

American  

noun

British.

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

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private company British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of private company

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Also called a blank-check company, a SPAC, or special-purpose acquisition company, is a shell firm that lists publicly with the sole intent of merging with a private company to take it public.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Sila will become a private company after the deal closes, with Blue Owl acquiring a healthcare net lease portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The teaching is delivered under contract by a private company at weekends in a small campus in east London.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

"On one side is relatively contained risk of financial harm to a single private company," the three-member appellate panel here reasoned.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Moody’s, once a private company, had gone public in 2000.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis