Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: PERFORMING

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: compagnie, from compain 'companion', from Late Latin companio; COMPANION

company

 noun
     
com‧pa‧ny S1 W1 plural companies
1

business

[C also + plural verb British English] a business organization that makes or sells goods or services [= business, firm]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
run a company set up/start a company join a company (=become an employee) a company goes bust/bankrupt (=stops doing business because it has lost too much money) record/oil/insurance/phone etc company multinational company (=one that has offices in different countries) company policy company director/executive
Which company do you work for?
The company are hoping to expand their operations abroad.
In ten years, Jeff went from working in the mailroom to running the company.
The company was set up just after the war.
Insurance companies investigated 43,000 cases of fraud last year.
I called the phone company about the bill.
an independent record company
a multinational company specializing in sports equipment
the company policy on the use of email for private purposes
The company directors have awarded themselves a massive pay increase.
 ➔ limited company, parent company, public company
2

other people

[uncountable] when you are with other people and not alone:
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 people).
James is good company (=a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with).
as company
Bessie was glad to have the dog as company.
in somebody'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]AP a group of actors, dancers, or singers who work together:
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]PMA 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)WORD FOCUS: company WORD FOCUS: company
similar words: firm, business
a big company: corporation, multinational, conglomerate
an Internet company: dot-com
a company that is owned by a larger company: subsidiary, affiliate
abbreviations used in company names: Ltd (Limited)
Co. (Company)
Corp. (Corporation)
PLC (Public Limited Company) British English, Pty. (Proprietary) used in Australia and South Africacompany ➔ start-up3
Definition of company from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic PERFORMING
Word of the Day
The PERFORMING
Word of the Day is:
impersonator

Other related topics