corporation
noun
cor·po·ra·tion
ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən 
1
a
: a group of merchants or traders united in a trade guild (see guild sense 1)
b
: the municipal authorities of a town or city
2
: a body formed and authorized by law to act as a single person although constituted by one or more persons and legally endowed with various rights and duties including the capacity of succession
3
: an association of employers and employees in a basic industry or of members of a profession organized as an organ of political representation in a corporative state
4
Examples of corporation in a Sentence
He works as a consultant for several large corporations.
a substantial corporation that showed that he was a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets
Recent Examples on the Web
In Texas, meanwhile, statehouse lobbyists are outright banned from accepting payments from corporations linked to foreign adversaries.
—
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2025
There are some signs that corporations are using AI to get more out of fewer workers.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
The corporation has been winding down its operations.
—Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The nonprofit arm, now called the OpenAI Foundation, will have a $130 billion stake in the for-profit enterprise, a public benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corporation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2025
There are some signs that corporations are using AI to get more out of fewer workers.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
The corporation has been winding down its operations.
—Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The nonprofit arm, now called the OpenAI Foundation, will have a $130 billion stake in the for-profit enterprise, a public benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corporation
Cite this Entry
“Corporation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corporation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corporation
noun
cor·po·ra·tion
ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən
: a group that is authorized by law to carry on an activity (as a business enterprise) with the rights and duties of a single person
Legal Definition
corporation
noun
cor·po·ra·tion
ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən
: an invisible, intangible, artificial creation of the law existing as a voluntary chartered association of individuals that has most of the rights and duties of natural persons but with perpetual existence and limited liability see also pierce compare association, partnership, sole proprietorship
—
benefit corporation
: a for-profit corporation whose purpose is to provide a benefit to society (such as improving the environment or promoting good health) in addition to making a profit for shareholders
called also B corporation, public benefit corporation
—
C corporation
: a corporation that pays taxes as a corporate entity compare S corporation in this entry
Note: A corporation that does not choose to be an S corporation under the Internal Revenue Code is a C corporation.
—
close corporation
\
ˈklōs-
\
: a corporation whose shares are held by a small number of individuals (as management) and not publicly traded
specifically
: small business corporation in this entry
called also closely held corporation
compare public corporation in this entry
—
foreign corporation
: a corporation organized under the laws of a state or government other than that in which it is doing business
—
government corporation
: public corporation in this entry
—
moneyed corporation
: a corporation (as a bank) authorized to engage in the investment, exchange, or lending of moneyed capital
—
municipal corporation
: a political unit created or otherwise given corporate status (as by a charter) by a superior governing authority (as a state) and endowed with powers of local self-government (as eminent domain)
broadly
: a public corporation (as a utility) created to act as an agency of administration and local self-government
Note: As a result of its incorporation, a municipal corporation has the capacity to sue and be sued. Citizens as well as officials are usually considered part of a municipal corporation.
—
professional corporation
: a corporation organized by one or more licensed individuals (as a doctor or lawyer) to provide professional services and obtain tax advantages
—
public corporation
: a government-owned corporation (as a utility or railroad) engaged in a profit-making enterprise that may require the exercise of powers unique to government (as eminent domain)
called also government corporation, publicly held corporation
: a business corporation whose stocks are publicly traded
called also publicly held corporation
compare close corporation in this entry
—
S corporation
: a small business corporation that is treated for federal tax purposes as a partnership
called also subchapter S corporation
compare c corporation in this entry
—
shell corporation
: a corporation that exists as a legal entity without independent assets or operations as an instrument by which another company or corporation can carry out dealings usually unrelated to its primary business
: a corporation formed for purposes of tax evasion or acquisition or merger rather than for a legitimate business purpose
—
small business corporation
: a corporation described in section 1361 of the Internal Revenue Code that has 35 shareholders or less and only one class of stock and that may if eligible elect to be an S corporation and taxed accordingly
—
subchapter S corporation
: s corporation in this entry
Etymology
Late Latin corporatio, from Latin corporare to form into a body, from corpor-, corpus body
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share