Meaning & use
joint-stock company
Last updated
UK/ˌdʒɔɪnt ˈstɒk ˌkʌmpəni/
US/ˌdʒɔɪnt ˈstɑːk ˌkʌmpəni/
Meaning
nouncountablebusiness
A business owned by many shareholders who each hold shares and share its profits or losses in proportion.
Grammar: Has plural: joint-stock companies.
Patterns
- a joint-stock company
The East India Company was a famous joint-stock company.
They turned the partnership into a joint-stock company to raise money.
A joint-stock company can sell shares to the public.
Word forms
| plural | joint-stock companies |
|---|
Common combinations
- form a joint-stock company
- Merchants formed a joint-stock company to fund the voyage.
- early joint-stock company
- The early joint-stock company traded spices.
- joint-stock company law
- Joint-stock company law arose in the 1800s.
- shares in a joint-stock company
- He owned shares in a joint-stock company.
- charter a joint-stock company
- The Crown chartered the joint-stock company.
Synonyms and how they differ
- corporation
- Corporation is the modern general term, while joint-stock company stresses shares.
- public company
- Public company stresses that shares can be traded openly.
- partnership
- Partnership has owners who are personally liable, unlike shareholders.
Opposites
sole proprietorship
Word family
- shareholder noun
- An owner of shares.
- stock noun
- Shares in a company.
- incorporation noun
- Creating a legal company.
Commonly confused: joint-stock company or joint venture?
joint-stock company vs joint venture
A joint venture is a project between companies, not a company owned by shareholders.
Practice
Owners of a joint-stock company are called:
Choose one answer.
They hold shares. Partners belong to partnerships.
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