Corporation

UK: /ˌkɔː^rpəˈreɪʃ^ən/ US: /ˌkɔrpəˈreɪʃən/ ,(kôr′pə rā′shən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cor•po•ra•tion /ˌkɔrpəˈreɪʃən/   n. [countable]

1. Business an association of individuals, created by law and having an existence apart from that of its members.
2. a large business organization formed this way:
   working for a large, faceless, multinational corporation.
3. Government [often: Corporation] the principal officials of a city or town.

See -corp-. Usage

See collective noun.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cor•po•ra•tion  (kôr′pə rā′shən), n. 

1. Business an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.
2. British Terms, Government (cap.) the group of principal officials of a borough or other municipal division in England.
3. any group of persons united or regarded as united in one body.
4. Informal Terms a paunch;
   potbelly.

• Late Latin corporātiōn- (stem of corporātiō) guild, Latin: physical makeup, build. See corporate, -ion
• late Middle English 1400–50

cor′po•ra′tion•al, adj. 
Usage

See collective noun. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

corporation / ˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃən/ noun

1. a group of people authorized by law to act as a legal personality and having its own powers, duties, and liabilities
2. Also called: municipal corporation the municipal authorities of a city or town
3. a group of people acting as one body
4. See public corporation
5. a large paunch or belly