joint-stock company

noun

: a company or association consisting of individuals organized to conduct a business for gain and having a joint stock of capital represented by shares owned individually by the members and transferable without the consent of the group

Examples of joint-stock company in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The East India Company evolved into a permanent joint-stock company in 1657. Caroline Elkins, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023 Red Sea Global and the Public Investment Fund A closed joint-stock company owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the projects being undertaken by Red Sea Global look to a sustainable future that will diversify its economy while nurturing the environment. Kathleen Turner, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024 The very land on which Congress now sits was first colonized by theVirginia Company of London, a joint-stock company chartered by King James I and his fellow shareholders. Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2020 In the 18th century the joint-stock company created bubbles, before going on to make large-scale business possible in the 19th century. The Economist, 3 Oct. 2019 All major companies owned by the central government, excluding financial and cultural firms, will be transformed into limited-liability or joint-stock companies by Dec. 31, according to a plan released by the State Council, or cabinet. WSJ, 26 July 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of joint-stock company was in 1776

Dictionary Entries Near joint-stock company

Cite this Entry

“Joint-stock company.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joint-stock%20company. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Legal Definition

joint-stock company

see company

More from Merriam-Webster on joint-stock company

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!