company
[noun]
Synonyms:
- business, association, concern, corporation, establishment, firm, house, partnership, syndicate
- group, assembly, band, collection, community, crowd, gathering, party, set
- guests, callers, party, visitors

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Related Words: camaraderie, comradeship, consociation, crew, gang, pack, team, circle, clique, coterie, set, association, club, order, society, crowd, horde, mob, throng, group

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English Thesaurus: actor, actress, star, the star, co-star, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

com‧pa‧ny S1 W1 /ˈkʌmpəni/ noun (plural companies)
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: compagnie, from compain 'companion', from Late Latin companio; ⇒ companion]

1. BUSINESS [countable also + plural verb British English] a business organization that makes or sells goods or services Synonym : business, firm:
Which company do you work for?
I called the phone company about the bill.
The company was set up just after the war.
The company directors have awarded themselves a massive pay increase.

2. OTHER PEOPLE [uncountable] when you are with other people and not alone:
The two men enjoy each other’s company.
Rita’s husband is away for the week, so I thought I’d go over and keep her company (=be with her so that she doesn’t feel lonely).
Come over for dinner – I could use the company (=would like to be with other people).
James is good company (=is a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with).
as company
Bessie was glad to have the dog as company.
in sb’s company (=with someone)
I felt nervous in the company of such an important man.
in company with somebody (=together with another person or group)
He’s performing in company with saxophonist Ernie Watts.

3. GUESTS [uncountable] people who are visiting you in your home:
It looks like the Hammills have company.
We’re expecting company this evening.

4. FRIENDS [uncountable] your friends or the group of people you spend time with:
People judge you by the company you keep (=the people you spend time with).
Things began to go wrong when he got into bad company.

5. PERFORMERS [countable] a group of actors, dancers, or singers who work together:
a theatre company
a touring company
the Kirov Ballet Company

6. be in good company used to tell someone who has made a mistake that they should not be embarrassed because some important or respected people have made the same mistake:
If you can’t program the video recorder, you’re in good company.

7. GROUP [uncountable] formal a group of people who are together in the same place, often for a particular purpose or for social reasons:
He glanced around at the assembled company.
Some jokes are just not appropriate to tell in mixed company (=in a group of both men and women).
in company (=when surrounded by other people, especially at a social occasion)
Parents should teach their children how to behave in company.

8. somebody and company informal used after a person’s name to mean that person and their friends:
This has not stopped Senator Biden and company from trying to make it an issue in the election.

9. ARMY [countable] a group of about 120 soldiers who are usually part of a larger group

10. two’s company, three’s a crowd used to suggest that two people would rather be alone together than have other people with them ⇒ part company at part²(4), ⇒ present company excepted at present¹(7)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

company
noun
I. business organization
ADJ. big, large, major, medium-sized, small | start-up a major European company
associated, commercial, joint-stock, limited, private, public a public limited company
international, multi-national, national | trading an international trading company
bus, record, etc. a small insurance company
QUANT. group
VERB + COMPANY create, establish, form, found, set up, start (up) | manage, operate, run | acquire, buy, take over | dissolve | work for She's been working for the same company for 15 years.
join | leave, resign from
COMPANY + VERB make sth, produce sth The company produces cotton goods.
expand, grow | shrink | fail, go bankrupt, go bust, go into liquidation, go out of business, go to the wall (informal), go under During the recession many small companies went out of business.
COMPANY + NOUN director, policy, profits | car
PREP. in a/the ~ He has shares in several companies.
within a/the ~ the division of power within a company
PHRASES a director of a company
 ⇒ Special page at BUSINESS

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company
II. group of actors/dancers, etc.
ADJ. large, small | touring | ballet, theatre, etc. a small touring theatre company
 ⇒ Note at ORGANIZATION (for verbs)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company
III. being with sb else
ADJ. good, pleasant He's very good company.
poor
VERB + COMPANY have It's nice to have a bit of company for a change.
keep sb I'll stay and keep you company.
need, want | provide (sb with) A cat would provide her with some company.
seek | enjoy I always enjoy her company.
PREP. for ~ I took my mother with me for company.
in sb's ~ He's nervous in the company of his colleagues.
PHRASES have/request the pleasure of sb's company (formal), like/prefer your own company (= to like being alone)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company
IV. group of people together
ADJ. mixed (= men and women) | assembled He glanced round the assembled company.
VERB + COMPANY keep (= to spend time with) John's mother was worried about the company he kept.
PREP. in ~ Those children don't know how to behave in company. That's not something to say in mixed company.
PHRASES get into/keep bad company (= to be friends with people that others disapprove of), present company excepted (= used after being rude or critical about sb to say that the people you are talking to are not included in the criticism)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company
V. visitor or visitors
VERB + COMPANY expect, have We're expecting company this afternoon.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company

a computer/phone/oil etc company
an international oil company
a manufacturing/shipping/publishing etc company
I’m working for a printing company at the moment.
a large/big company
She has a senior position in a large manufacturing company.
a small company
His father is the director of a small company.
an international company (=with offices in different countries)
She works for a major international company.
a multinational company (=with offices in many countries)
Within ten years the business grew into a huge multinational company.
a private company (=not owned by the government)
There are many tiny private companies.
a state-owned company (=owned by the government)
a public/listed company (=offering its shares for sale on the stock exchange)
a limited company (=one whose owners only have to pay a limited amount if it gets into debt)
a subsidiary company (=owned or controlled by a larger company)
the parent company (=the one that owns or controls a smaller one)
a local company
The new development will bring more business to local companies.
a reputable company (=with a good reputation)
Choose a reputable building company to do the work.
work for a company
How long have you been working for your present company?
join a company (=become an employee)
I joined the company ten years ago.
run/manage a company
Nick runs a property company.
set up/start/form a company
Two years later he started his own software company.
found/establish a company
The company was founded in 1993 by William J. Nutt.
take over a company (=buy it and run it)
The company was taken over by the management in a £32.5 million deal.
a company grows/expands
The company has expanded year on year.
a company goes bankrupt/goes out of business (=stops doing business after losing too much money)
a company fails (=goes bankrupt)
His audio equipment company failed in the mid 1980s.
a company goes bust informal (=goes bankrupt)
a company goes to the wall informal (=goes bankrupt)
a company goes into liquidation (=is closed and sold in order to pay its debts)
company policy
It is not company policy to give that information.
a company director/executive
He earns a huge amount of money as a senior company executive.
a company car (=that your company gives you to use)
enjoy sb’s company
Steve was fun and she clearly enjoyed his company.
keep somebody company (=be with someone so that they do not feel lonely)
Mum was out so I stayed at home to keep my younger sister company.
have some company (=not be alone)
‘Come in,’ she said, pleased to have some company.
need/want company
Children need the company of other kids their age.
be good/pleasant company (=be a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with)
I always liked seeing Rob – he was such good company.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company
noun
BAD: For those who live by themselves, television provides a good company.
GOOD: For those who live by themselves, television provides good company.

Usage Note:
When company means 'someone or something that stops you from feeling lonely or bored; companionship', it is uncountable: 'Whenever he goes off on a long trip, he takes his radio with him for company.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

actor someone who performs in a play or film:
Her son wants to be an actor.
Both my parents are actors.
actress a woman who performs in a play or film. Many women prefer to be called actors rather than actresses:
Who was the actress who played Jane Eyre?
She’s one of my favourite actresses.
star a famous actor:
Julia Roberts is a famous Hollywood star.
The hotel is popular with movie stars.
the star someone who plays the most important part in a play or film:
Daniel Radcliffe is the star of the ‘Harry Potter’ films.
co-star one of two or more famous actors who have important parts in a play or film:
Her co-star Jodie Foster won the Best Actress Award.
the lead the main acting part in a play or film:
He will play the lead in a new version of ‘Dracula’.
extra an actor in a film who does not say anything but is part of a crowd:
She started her career as an extra in TV soap operas.
understudy an actor who learns a part in a play so that they can act the part if the usual actor is ill:
Vanessa had flu, and her place was taken by her understudy, Miss Lisa Fennell.
the cast all the actors in a play or film:
Other members of the cast include Johnny Depp and Danny DeVito.
She will head the cast (=she will have the most important part).
company a group of actors who perform plays together:
In 2006, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The play will be performed by an all-female company.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

company an organization that makes or sells something, or provides a service:
big oil companies
telephone companies
He runs a software company.
firm a company, especially one that provides a service rather than producing goods:
a law firm
a firm of accountants
a security firm
business a company – often used when talking about a company that employs only a small number of people:
She set up her own catering business.
small businesses
a family business
corporation a large company that often includes several smaller companies:
IBM is one of the biggest corporations in the world.
multinational a very large company with offices in many different countries:
American multinationals are establishing research and development facilities across the developing world.
conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒmərət, kənˈɡlɒmərɪt $ -ˈɡlɑː-/ a very large company that consists of several different companies which have joined together:
The company was taken over by a German media conglomerate.
giant a word used mainly by newspapers for a very large company:
Their clients include the retail giant, Wal-Mart.
subsidiary a company that is owned by a larger company:
The company runs its New York operations through a US subsidiary.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

company
ˈkʌmpənɪ
See: keep company , part company

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲