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

The executive has complained, at times, that he dislikes running a public company.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Still, the stakes in the funds—to varying degrees—are valued below the $2 trillion market capitalization that SpaceX could fetch on Day One as a public company.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

It is unclear what accounting methods Anthropic has used to book revenue and costs, as the company isn’t yet required to follow the financial reporting requirements of a public company.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Cohen told The Wall Street Journal earlier this year that he was aiming to acquire a major public company in the hope of turning GameStop into a broader stock than its current videogames-and-collectibles focus.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

A small syndicate would be formed to buy from you, and that syndicate would sell to a public company.

From Hugo A Fantasia on Modern Themes by Bennett, Arnold