What does "company" mean?
A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; A group of individuals who work together for a common purpose.
Company
/ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; A group of individuals who work together for a common purpose.
- Grammar: company is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: companionship, abbott, accenture, accompaniment.
- Useful contrasts: profound solitude, solitary studio life, aloneness.
- Usage evidence: If you don't want to stay alone, I can keep you company.
How to use "company"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "company" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "company" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "company" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "company" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "company" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "companionship" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "company", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; A group of individuals who work together for a common purpose. countable, uncountable
"a company of actors"
- 2 an institution created to conduct business wordnet
- 3 A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; A unit of approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty soldiers, typically consisting of two or three platoons and forming part of a battalion. countable, uncountable
"the boys in Company C"
- 4 a unit of firefighters including their equipment wordnet
- 5 A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; A unit of firefighters and their equipment. countable, uncountable
"It took six companies to put out the fire."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a social gathering of guests or companions wordnet
- 7 A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; The entire crew of a ship. countable, uncountable
- 8 organization of performers and associated personnel (especially theatrical) wordnet
- 9 A team; a group of people who work together professionally.; An intelligence service. countable, informal, uncountable
"As he had worked for the CIA for over 30 years, he would soon take retirement from the company."
- 10 small military unit; usually two or three platoons wordnet
- 11 A small group of birds or animals. countable, uncountable
- 12 crew of a ship including the officers; the whole force or personnel of a ship wordnet
- 13 An entity having legal personality, and thus able to own property and to sue and be sued in its own name; a corporation. countable, uncountable
"a financial services company"
- 14 a band of people associated temporarily in some activity wordnet
- 15 Any business, whether incorporated or not, that manufactures or sells products (also known as goods), or provides services as a commercial venture. countable, uncountable
"In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised."
- 16 a social or business visitor wordnet
- 17 Social visitors or companions. uncountable
"Keep the house clean; I have company coming."
- 18 the state of being with someone wordnet
- 19 adversaries, enemies, or rivals; unwanted company. countable, uncountable
"looks like we've got company"
- 20 Companionship. uncountable
"I treasure your company."
Verb
- 1 To accompany, keep company with. archaic, transitive
"Ye dooe knowe howe thatt hytt ys an vnlawefull thynge for a man beynge a iewe to company or come vnto an alient […]."
- 2 be a companion to somebody wordnet
- 3 To associate. archaic, intransitive
"Men which have companied with us all the time."
- 4 To be a lively, cheerful companion. intransitive, obsolete
"If thee list unto the Court to throng […]there thou needs must learne, to laugh, to lie, To face, to forge, to scoffe, to companie."
- 5 To have sexual intercourse. intransitive, obsolete
"companying with Infidels may not be simply condemned"
Antonyms
Example
"If you don't want to stay alone, I can keep you company."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "company"?
Common synonyms include: companionship, abbott, accenture, accompaniment, accompany, ace.
How do you use "company" in a sentence?
If you don't want to stay alone, I can keep you company.
How do you pronounce "company"?
Pronounced /ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/.
Etymology
From Middle English companye (“a team; companionship”), from Old French compaignie (“companionship”) (Modern French: compagnie), possibly from Late Latin *compania, but this word is not attested. Old French compaignie is equivalent to Old French compaignon (Modern French: compagnon) + -ie. More at companion. Displaced native Old English werod, gefer, getæl, and hired.