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

Bankers managing IPOs have up to 30 days to support the shares of a newly public company through a so-called green shoe option.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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

Granted, Sandisk has only been a standalone public company in its current iteration since February 2025, but this quarterly performance is notable because it follows triple-digit gains in each of the prior three quarters.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The analyst believes a Tesla and SpaceX merger likely will happen in the next 18 months, giving time for SpaceX to integrate the recent xAI merger and settle in as a public company.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

A clerk in a public company was down for upwards of £50,000. 

From Gossip in the First Decade of Victoria's Reign by Ashton, John