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

Quantinuum’s debut as a public company appeared to be of key interest on Wall Street, as it provided another way to invest in quantum computing.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

AI giant Anthropic has said it plans to become a public company in the US.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

The French state has had effective control of the group as a French public company holds a significant stake, with Germany's Wegmann family owning the other part.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Mastercard has been a public company for 20 years, but it’s been operating for almost 60 years.

From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026

It will be for the courts to decide in how so far that money is to be applied to the liquidation of debts incurred by the deceased as director of a public company.

From The Secret House by Wallace, Edgar