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

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

There are additional releases of shares at staggered intervals, including after the company reports its second quarterly earnings as a public company.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Carvana is controlled by its chief executive, Ernie Garcia III, and his father, DriveTime owner Ernie Garcia II. It became an independent, public company in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen sought to acquire a major public company to expand beyond its current videogames focus.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

By the diagonal position of a plane mirror, a curious opera-glass is constructed, by which any person may be viewed in a theatre or public company without knowing it.

From Endless Amusement A Collection of Nearly 400 Entertaining Experiments by Unknown