company

[ kuhm-puh-nee ]

noun

, plural com·pa·nies.

1. a number of individuals assembled or associated together; group of people.

   Synonyms: body, assemblage, group

2. a guest or guests:

   We're having company for dinner.

3. an assemblage of persons for social purposes.

   Synonyms: crowd, gathering

4. companionship; fellowship; association:

   I always enjoy her company.

5. one's usual companions:

   I don't like the company he keeps.

6. society collectively.

   Synonyms: corporation, house, firm

7. a number of persons united or incorporated for joint action, especially for business:

   a publishing company;

   a dance company.

8. (initial capital letter) the members of a firm not specifically named in the firm's title:

   George Higgins and Company.

9. Military.
   1. the smallest body of troops, consisting of a headquarters and two or three platoons.
   2. any relatively small group of soldiers.
   3. Army. a basic unit with both tactical and administrative functions.
10. a unit of firefighters, including their special apparatus:

    a hook-and-ladder company.

11. Also called ship's company. a ship's crew, including the officers.
12. a medieval trade guild.
13. the Company, Informal. a nation's major intelligence-gathering and espionage organization, as the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

verb (used without object)

, com·pa·nied, com·pa·ny·ing.

1. Archaic. to associate.

verb (used with object)

, com·pa·nied, com·pa·ny·ing.

1. Archaic. to accompany.

company

/ ˈkʌmpənɪ /

noun

1. a number of people gathered together; assembly
2. the fact of being with someone; companionship

   I enjoy her company

3. a social visitor or visitors; guest or guests
4. a business enterprise
5. the members of an enterprise not specifically mentioned in the enterprise's title AbbreviationCoco
6. a group of actors, usually including business and technical personnel
7. a unit of around 100 troops, usually comprising two or more platoons
8. the officers and crew of a ship
9. a unit of Girl Guides
10. English history a medieval guild
11. keep company or bear company
    1. to accompany (someone)
    2. (esp of lovers) to associate with each other; spend time together
12. part company
    1. to end a friendship or association, esp as a result of a quarrel; separate
    2. foll by with to leave; go away (from); be separated (from)

verb

1. archaic.
   to keep company or associate (with someone)

Other Words From

• compa·ny·less adjective
• inter·compa·ny adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of company¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French compaignie “companionship,” equivalent to compain (from Late Latin compāniō; companion ¹ ) + -ie -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of company¹

C13: from Old French compaignie, from compain companion, fellow, from Late Latin compāniō; see companion ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. keep company,
   1. to associate with; be a friend of.
   2. Informal. to go together, as in courtship:

      My sister has been keeping company with a young lawyer.

2. part company,
   1. to cease association or friendship with:

      We parted company 20 years ago after the argument.

   2. to take a different or opposite view; differ:

      He parted company with his father on politics.

   3. to separate:

      We parted company at the airport.

More idioms and phrases containing company

• keep someone company
• misery loves company
• part company
• two's company

Synonym Study

Company, band, party, troop refer to a group of people formally or informally associated. Company is the general word and means any group of people: a company of motorists. Band, used especially of a band of musicians, suggests a relatively small group pursuing the same purpose or sharing a common fate: a concert by a band; a band of survivors. Party, except when used of a political group, usually implies an indefinite and temporary assemblage, as for some common pursuit: a spelunking party. Troop, used specifically of a body of cavalry, usually implies a number of individuals organized as a unit: a troop of cavalry.

Example Sentences

The company touted the trips in a news release days after Trump won another term.

From Salon

Rates for double occupancy cabins range from $49,999 per person for a one-year journey to $159,999 per person for a four-year trip, according to the company's website.

From Salon

The way Musk and Ramaswamy have been talking, they clearly have the idea that they’ll be cleaning house from Day 1 onward—just like Musk did when he bought Twitter in late 2022, brought his friends and cronies on as consultants for cost cuts, ousted the company’s executives, and went on to lay off thousands more staffers.

From Slate

A judge in Texas ordered the auction in September, and various groups – both Jones’s allies and detractors – had suggested they would bid for the company.

From BBC

Ben Collins, a former NBC News journalist who is chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, said on X: “We're planning on making a very stupid website.”

From BBC

Related Words

• association
• club
• community
• group
• party
• team