shell company
Britishnoun
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a near-defunct company, esp one with a stock-exchange listing, used as a vehicle for a thriving company
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a company that has ceased to trade but retains its registration and is sold for a small sum to enable its new owners to avoid the cost and trouble of registering a new company
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Slusky heads Vector Capital, the firm behind the shell company that took Rocket Lab public in 2021.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The Tim Hortons trade also was routed to the Russian trader, who bought the shares in the name of a shell company registered in the British Virgin Islands, according to court papers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
On Aug. 1, federal prosecutors filing a legal brief alleging that taxpayer funds from the county went into a slush fund held by a shell company to help pay for its illegal activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
A couple hours down the coast, Ellen DeGeneres and mining tycoon Robert Friedland — more specifically, a shell company linked to Friedland — engaged in a high-end home swap in Santa Barbara.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2024
The complex accounting trick started in March 2017 when a shell company, with no money or assets, called Severn Trent Trimpley was set up as part of the group.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
