public company

American  

noun

British.

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

---

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

---

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.”

---

Example Sentences

According to forecasts it has shared with investors, it is set to burn cash at a level that would dwarf any other public company in history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The soon-to-be public company has published a new website to help individual investors understand SpaceX and how to potentially get access to the stock.

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

Figma’s first year as a public company hasn’t gone well, and now an activist investor is involved.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

The entire cost of the bridge was £110,000, raised by a public company.

From Dickens' London by Mansfield, M. F. (Milburg Francisco)