Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

shell company

British  

noun

  1. a near-defunct company, esp one with a stock-exchange listing, used as a vehicle for a thriving company

  2. 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

All would-be entrants had to do was set up a shell company and then apply for access to the registry, which was normally given.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Investigators also identified a shell company possibly used to launder the advertising revenue, which totaled to around $6.2 million, and an investment of $200,000 in cryptocurrency.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 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

According to the indictments against the Cuellars, the Azerbaijan energy company initially made the payments through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s children.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024

So he allegedly directed his longtime fixer Michael Cohen to pay off Daniels, through a shell company, for her silence.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2024