public company

American  

noun

British.

1. a company that has more than 50 shareholders and whose shares are offered for public subscription.

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public company British  

noun

1. a limited company whose shares may be purchased by the public and traded freely on the open market and whose share capital is not less than a statutory minimum; public limited company Compare private company

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public company Cultural  

1. A company that sells shares in itself to the public to raise capital. When a previously privately owned company offers shares, it is said to “go public.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public company

SpaceX is set to report earnings for the first time as a public company next Tuesday — potentially setting the sector up for a fresh bout of volatility.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Possibly adding to the pressure on the shares is next week’s earnings report, which will be SpaceX’s first as a public company.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“So if you’re in the world of financial services or a large public company, you can breathe a lot easier.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

On Monday and Tuesday, his fortune crept back to a hair above $1 trillion as SpaceX gained 11.5% and and Tesla, Musk’s other public company, gained 10.8%.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

The grand idea began to crystallise rapidly, with the result that when a public company was formed in 1898, sufficient funds were rendered available to enable the first craft to be constructed.

From Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Talbot, Frederick Arthur Ambrose