Meaning & use
public enterprise
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusinessfinance
A business or company that is owned or controlled by the government, often providing a public service.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a public enterprise' or 'public enterprises'.
Patterns
- a public enterprise
- public enterprises
- run a public enterprise
- state-owned public enterprise
The postal service is a public enterprise that delivers mail to every home.
The government is considering selling some public enterprises to private investors.
Public enterprises often aim to provide affordable services rather than make a profit.
noununcountablebusinessfinance
The sector or system of businesses owned by the government, considered as a whole.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the sector: 'public enterprise' as a concept.
Patterns
- the role of public enterprise
- public enterprise sector
In some countries, public enterprise plays a major role in energy and transport.
The report examines the efficiency of public enterprise compared with private companies.
Word forms
| plural | public enterprises |
|---|
Common combinations
- state-owned public enterprise
- The water company is a state-owned public enterprise.
- public enterprise reform
- Public enterprise reform aims to reduce government spending.
- privatize a public enterprise
- The government decided to privatize the national railway, a major public enterprise.
- public enterprise sector
- The public enterprise sector employs thousands of people.
Synonyms and how they differ
- state-owned enterprise
- A more formal term used especially in international business; it emphasizes ownership by the state.
- nationalized industry
- An industry that was taken into government ownership, often after being private; now less common.
- public corporation
- A specific type of public enterprise set up by law, often with a legal monopoly.
Opposites
Word family
- enterprise noun
- A business or company, or the act of starting one.
- entrepreneur noun
- A person who starts and runs a business, taking financial risks.
- enterprising adjective
- Good at thinking of new projects and making them successful.
Commonly confused: public enterprise or public company?
public enterprise vs public company
A public company is one whose shares are traded on a stock exchange, not necessarily owned by the government. A public enterprise is owned by the government.
Practice
Which of these is the best example of a public enterprise?
Choose one answer.
A national postal service is owned and run by the government, so it is a public enterprise. A family restaurant and a private hospital are privately owned, and a publicly traded company is owned by shareholders, not the government.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “public enterprise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.