What does "corporate" mean?
A bond issued by a corporation.
Corporate
/ˈkɔː.pə.ɹət/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bond issued by a corporation.
- Grammar: corporate is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: collective, affiliate, affiliated, allied.
- Useful contrasts: incorporate, cooperative effort, federal bonds.
- Usage evidence: Corporate bankruptcies continued at a high level last month.
How to use "corporate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "corporate" 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 "corporate" 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 "corporate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "corporate" 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 "corporate" is acting as adj, 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 "collective" 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 "corporate", 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 bond issued by a corporation. countable, uncountable
"So-called junk corporates and emerging-market debt remain generally out of favor."
- 2 A short film produced for internal use in a business, e.g. for training, rather than for a general audience. countable, uncountable
"Currently there are 19 members, who are all in Spotlight and belong to Equity. Areas of work include theatre, musicals, television, film, commercials, corporates and voiceovers."
- 3 A corporation that franchises, as opposed to an individual franchise. countable
"McDonald's corporate issued a new policy today."
- 4 A corporate company or group. countable
- 5 The higher managerial echelons of a corporation. informal, uncountable
"it came down from corporate"
Verb
- 1 To incorporate. obsolete, transitive
"This hospital of Savoy was again new founded, erected, corporated , and endowed with lands by Queen Mary"
- 2 To become incorporated. intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to a corporation.
"The one on Seventh Street is a corporate franchise."
- 2 Formed into a corporation; incorporated.
- 3 Unified into one body; collective.
"the corporate authorship of the working group"
- 4 Soulless and inoffensive; sanitized and sterile, like a design from a large corporation. colloquial
"It's not that their interior decorating is horrible; it's just that, well, it's so corporate."
Adjective
- 1 possessing or existing in bodily form wordnet
- 2 organized and maintained as a legal corporation wordnet
- 3 done by or characteristic of individuals acting together wordnet
- 4 of or belonging to a corporation wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Corporate bankruptcies continued at a high level last month."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "corporate"?
Common synonyms include: collective, affiliate, affiliated, allied, applied skill development, associate.
How do you use "corporate" in a sentence?
Corporate bankruptcies continued at a high level last month.
How do you pronounce "corporate"?
Pronounced /ˈkɔː.pə.ɹət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The adjective is first attested in 1429, the noun in 1849; from Middle English corporat(e) (“(if a true adjective) corporeal, physical, embodied; (participle/participial adjective) incorporated; corporated, constituted as a legal corporation”, used as the past participle of corporaten), from Latin corporātus, perfect passive participle of corporō (“to make into a body”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from corpus (“body”, oblique stem in corp-) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). The noun was derived by substantivization from the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Etymology 2
First attested in 1398; from Middle English corporaten (“to incorporate, assimilate; to constitute as a legal corporation”), either from corporat(e) (“(if a true adjective) corporeal, physical”, also used as the past participle of corporaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix) or directly from Latin corporātus + -en, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.