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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
The East India Company evolved into a permanent joint-stock company in 1657.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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WSJ, 26 July 2017
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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 9 Feb. 2025.
Legal Definition
joint-stock company
see company
More from Merriam-Webster on joint-stock company
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about joint-stock company
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