company

Dictionary: com·pa·ny (kŭm'pə-nē) pronunciation

n., pl. -nies.

A group of persons. See synonyms at band².
1. One's companions or associates: moved in fast company; is known by the company she keeps.
2. A guest or guests: had company for the weekend.
3. The state of friendly companionship; fellowship: was grateful for her company; friends who finally parted company.
1. A business enterprise; a firm.
2. A partner or partners not specifically named in a firm's title: Lee Rogers and Company.
A troupe of dramatic or musical performers: a repertory company.
1. A subdivision of a military regiment or battalion that constitutes the lowest administrative unit. It is usually under the command of a captain and is made up of at least two platoons.
2. A unit of firefighters.
A ship's crew and officers. See Usage Note at collective noun.

tr.v., -nied, -ny·ing, -nies.

To accompany or associate with.

[Middle English compainie, from Old French compaignie, from Vulgar Latin *compānia, from *compāniō, companion. See companion¹.]

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5min Related Video: company

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Financial & Investment Dictionary: Company

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Organization engaged in business as a proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or other form of enterprise. Originally, a firm made up of a group of people as distinguished from a sole proprietorship. However, since few proprietorships owe their existence exclusively to one person, the term now applies to proprietorships as well.

Thesaurus: company

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noun

A number of persons who have come or been gathered together: assemblage, assembly, body, conclave, conference, congregation, congress, convention, convocation, crowd, gathering, group, meeting, muster, troop. Informal get-together. See collect/distribute.
A person or persons visiting one: guest, visitant, visitor. See accompanied.
A pleasant association among people: companionship, fellowship, society. See connect, group.
A commercial organization: business, concern, corporation, enterprise, establishment, firm, house. Informal outfit. See group.
A group of people acting together in a shared activity: band, corps, party, troop, troupe. See performing arts.

verb

Obsolete

Idioms:

See

accompanied

Idioms: company

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Idioms beginning with company:
company man
company manners

See also keep someone company; misery loves company; part company; two's company.

Antonyms: company

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Definition: guest
Antonyms: host, hostess

n

Definition: people
Antonyms: isolation, solitude

US Military Dictionary: company

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n. pl. -ies 1. a body of soldiers, especially the smallest subdivision of an infantry battalion, typically commanded by a major or captain: the troops of C Company.

2. (the Company) informal the Central Intelligence Agency.

ship's company the entire crew of a ship.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Law Encyclopedia: Company

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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An organization of individuals conducting a commercial or industrial enterprise. A corporation, partnership, association, or joint stock company.

Marine Corps Dictionary: Company

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A unit containing more than one platoon. They are typically commanded by a captain. Companies are assigned within Battalions.

Word Tutor: company

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IN BRIEF: A group of people who are joined together socially or through business. Also: A business enterprise; a firm.

They had a house full of company during the holidays.

Quotes About: Company

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Quotes:

"Tell me thy company, and I'll tell thee what thou art." - Miguel De Cervantes

"For my own part, I would rather be in company with a dead man than with an absent one; for if the dead man gives me no pleasure, at least he shows me no contempt; whereas the absent one, silently indeed, but very plainly, tells me that he does not think me worth his attention." - Lord Chesterfield

"We do not mind our not arriving anywhere nearly so much as our not having any company on the way." - Frank Moore Colby

"Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine." - Charles Dickens

"A rich rogue nowadays is fit company for any gentleman; and the world, my dear, hath not such a contempt for roguery as you imagine." - John Gay

"It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

See more famous quotes about Company

Wikipedia: Company (military unit)

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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

It has been suggested that Company Commander be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry company.

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. Several companies are grouped to form a battalion or regiment, the latter of which is sometimes formed by several battalions.

1 British Army
2 Canadian Army
3 Irish Army
4 United States Army
5 United States Marine Corps
6 Disambiguation
7 See also

British Army

Rifle companies consist of three platoons and a Company Headquarters. An infantry Battalion will also include a Headquarters Company and a Manoeuvre Support Company.

The British Army infantry normally identifies its rifle companies by letter (usually, but not always, A, B and C) within a battalion, usually with the addition of a headquarters company and a support/heavy weapons company. Some units name their companies after regimental battle honours, this is commonly the case for composite units, for example the London Regiment with its Somme, Messines and Cambrai companies. The Foot Guards Regiments use traditional names for some of their companies, for example Queen's Company, Left Flank, Prince of Wales's Company etc.

Royal Marines companies are designated by a letter that is unique across the Corps, not just within their Command. The Intelligence Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Military Police and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers all have companies uniquely numbered across their corps.

The Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals, Army Air Corps, Special Air Service, Honourable Artillery Company and Royal Logistic Corps use the term squadron instead of company (although the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals had companies until after the Second World War, except in armoured divisions). The Royal Artillery use the term battery.

The defunct Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps had companies; the Royal Corps of Transport had squadrons.

British companies are usually commanded by a Major, the Officer Commanding (OC), with a Captain or senior Lieutenant as Second-in-Command (2i/c). The company headquarters also includes a Company Sergeant Major (CSM) normally holding the rank of WO2 and a Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS) of Colour Sergeant rank, the two most senior soldiers in the company.

It should be noted that the Honourable Artillery Company is in fact a Regiment, not a Company in terms of organisation and size.

Canadian Army

Canadian Army organisation is modelled after the British. However, a Canadian infantry battalion consists of three or four rifle companies identified by letter (A Company, B Company, etc), a Combat Support Company, and an Administration Support Company. A notable exception is The Royal Canadian Regiment which names its companies sequentially throughout the regiment from the Duke of Edinburgh's Company (instead of A Company) in the First Battalion to T Company in the Fourth Battalion. Many Regiments name their Companies after Battle Honours, or former units which make up the current regiment, for example:

75th Company- The Toronto Scottish Regiment Victoria Company- The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

The Combat Support Company administratively contains the specialized infantry platoons such as Recce Platoon, Pioneer Platoon, HQ and Signals Platoon, Anti-Armour Platoon, and Mortar Platoon. The Administration Support Company contains the support tradesmen which a battalion requires, such as cooks, vehicle technicians, supply, medics, etc.

Irish Army

In the Irish Army, a company usually consists of three platoons. Companies are usually identified by letters in an infantry battalion (A, B, C... etc)

United States Army

In the United States Army, infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element. A company is usually commanded by an Army captain, although in rare cases they may be commanded by a 1st lieutenant or a major. By tradition, the corresponding unit of artillery is always called a "battery." Similarly, the term "troop" is used for cavalry units, including both the horse-mounted units of history as well as modern armored cavalry and air cavalry units. Companies which are not separate from their parent battalion are identified by letter - for example, "A Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment". The letters are usually pronounced using the NATO phonetic alphabet or, before that, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, resulting in names such as "Bravo Company" and "Echo Company" (formerly "Baker" and "Easy" Companies, respectively). Companies with a separate Table of Organization and Equipment are identified by a number, and are able to operate completely independently from any other unit's support. Company-sized units which are organized under a Table of Distribution and Allowance are identified with a name.

Company-sized units usually consist of four to six platoons (each led by a Lieutenant), although there are examples of Combat Service and Combat Service Support companies that have seven or more platoons. For example, a Transportation Terminal Service Company normally has two Ship Platoons, two Shore Platoons, one Documentation Platoon, one Maintenance Platoon, and the Headquarters Platoon. These platoons are led by first lieutenants, while the company is commanded by a major.

While companies are typically commanded by captains, some special units are commanded by majors, and have platoons commanded by captains. Examples of this arrangement include aviation platoons and many special forces units. This is not a punishment but an honor, as such platoons usually have some special operational capacity that requires them to be commanded by an officer with more experience than a lieutenant. A captain reports to his commander, usually the battalion commander (a lieutenant colonel). However, there are some administrative and other duties at battalion level and larger (brigade or division) which are also handled by captains, for example the S-1 through S-4 officers of a battalion, or some staff positions in the G shops at division

The senior non-commissioned officer of a company is called a first sergeant. Any sergeant holding this position is referred to as "first sergeant" regardless of actual rank and pay grade, though the non-commissioned officer assigned ordinarily has the rank of first sergeant and a grade of E-8. A master sergeant (E-8) assigned to this position will be "laterally promoted" to the rank of first sergeant, unless the appointment is temporary. In some instances, a sergeant first class (E-7) will be appointed to the job in lieu of a qualified first sergeant or master sergeant. Again, in such situations, the NCO holds the duty position and title of "First Sergeant," while retaining the rank of sergeant first class, at a grade of E-7.

United States Marine Corps

A Marine Corps rifle company consists of:

three rifle platoons
a weapons platoon
four Navy hospital corpsmen (one attached to each rifle platoon and the senior corpsman with the company headquarters)
an administrative clerk
a police sergeant (typically holding the rank of corporal or sergeant)
a training NCO
a company gunnery sergeant
a first sergeant
an Executive Officer (XO), typically a first lieutenant
a Commanding Officer (CO), typically a captain

A weapons company has in place of the three rifle platoons, an 81 mm mortar platoon, an anti-armor platoon, and a heavy machine gun platoon.

The following depicts the structure of a Headquarters and Service Company:

Headquarters Platoon consists of Marines from S-1, S-2, S-3, the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defense section, and the Chaplain section (one Navy chaplain and an enlisted religious program specialist).
Communications Platoon, consisting of Radiomen, Wiremen, Techs, Data Marines, and the associated staff.
Service Platoon, consisting of S-4, Motor Transportation, Food Service, armorers, and Supply.
Scout Sniper Platoon.
Medical Platoon, which includes all of the Navy medical personnel for the rifle companies and the Battalion Aid Station (BAS). The allowance of 65 hospital corpsmen and two Medical Corps officers (doctors) is usually not completely staffed. As such, the BAS usually fields one doctor and 10-12 hospital corpsmen. The remaining personnel are assigned to the rifle companies, usually four hospital corpsmen per company.

Disambiguation

Some companies were well enough known that they have been identified with their company letter. Examples include:

Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division which became the focus of the BBC/HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - συντροφιά, συναναστροφή, παρέα, ομήγυρη, όμιλος ή ομάδα ανθρώπων, (θεατρικός) θίασος, (ναυτ.) πλήρωμα, τσούρμο, (νομ.) (μετοχική κ.λπ.) εταιρεία, επιχείρηση, (στρατ.) λόχος, ίλη, συνάδελφοι ή συνεργάτες, συμπράττοντες, (μτφ.) επισκέπτες, φιλοξενούμενοι

idioms:

company car αυτοκίνητο της εταιρείας
company secretary γραμματέας επιχείρησης/εταιρείας
for company για παρέα
have company έχω παρέα, έχω καλεσμένους
in company with συνοδευόμενος από
in good company όχι μόνος μου
keep company κάνω παρέα, κρατώ συντροφιά

Italiano (Italian)
cerchia, ospiti, visite, impresa, compagnia, azienda, società, amicizia

idioms:

company car auto aziendale
company secretary segretario di una spa
have company avere visite
in company with in compagnia di
in good company in buona compagnia
keep company tenere compagnia
shipping company compagnia di spedizioni
state company impresa statale
subsidiary company società controllata
taxi company impresa di taxi
television company ente televisivo
theatrical company compagnia teatrale
trading company società commerciale
transit company impresa di trasporti
transport company impresa di trasporti

Português (Portuguese)
n. - companhia (f), hóspedes (coloq.) (m pl)

idioms:

company car carro (m) da empresa
company secretary secretária (f) da companhia
for company para convidados
have company ter companhia
in company with em companhia de
in good company em boa companhia
keep company freqüentar a sociedade
shipping company empresa (f) de transporte
state company companhia (f) estatal
subsidiary company empresa (f) subsidiária
taxi company companhia (f) de táxi
television company companhia (f) de televisão
theatrical company companhia (f) teatral
trading company empresa (f) de comércio
transit company companhia (f) de trânsito
transport company companhia (f) de transportes

Русский (Russian)
компания, гость, рота, команда

idioms:

company car служебная машина
company secretary ответственный секретарь
for company за компанию
have company не быть в одиночестве
in company with совместно
in good company иметь общего
keep company дружить, встречаться
shipping company судоходная компания
state company компания с участием госкапитала
subsidiary company дочерняя компания
taxi company фирма кот. доставляет такси
television company телевещательная компания
theatrical company театральная труппа
trading company коммерческая фирма
transit company транспортная компания
transport company транспортная компания

Español (Spanish)
n. - grupo, visita, invitado, empresa, compañía, sociedad, compañerismo, círculo
v. tr. - asociar, acompañar

idioms:

and company y compañía
company car coche de la empresa
company secretary encargado de los asuntos jurídicos y financieros de una sociedad
for company para compañía
have company tener invitados
in company en compañía de, en público
in company with en compañía de
in good company en buena compañía
keep company asociarse con, cortejar, galantear

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sällskap, främmande, gäster, bolag, kompani (mil.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
公司, 交际, 友伴, 陪伴

idioms:

company car 公务车
company secretary 公司秘书
for company 陪着
have company 客人来了, 来宾来了
in company with 一起
in good company 有趣的伙伴
keep company 交往, 陪伴

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 公司, 交際, 友伴
v. tr. - 陪伴

idioms:

company car 公務車
company secretary 公司祕書
for company 陪著
have company 客人來了, 來賓來了
in company with 一起
in good company 有趣的伙伴
keep company 交往, 陪伴

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 동료, 교제, 회사
v. tr. - ~을 따르다

idioms:

have company 손님이 와 있다
in company with ~와 함께
in good company 좋은 친구와 사귀어, 다른 잘난 친구들과 마찬가지로
keep company 사귀다, 동석하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 同席, 交際, 仲間, 会社, 来客, 歩兵中隊, 団体, 一行

idioms:

company car 社用車
company secretary 総務担当重役
for company お付き合いに, 道連れとして, 付き合いに
have company 来客中
in company with …といっしょに

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شركه, سريه جنود, عشرة, صحبه, ضيوف, فرقه, جماعه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חברה, חבורה, להקה, צוות, קבוצה, אורחים, פלוגה‬
v. tr. - ‮היה בן לוויה ל-, התרועע עם‬

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Financial & Investment Dictionary. Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms. Copyright © 2006 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
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		US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Marine Corps Dictionary. Copyright © 2003 "Unofficial Dictionary for Marines" compiled and edited by Glenn B. Knight Read more
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company

Contents

British Army

Canadian Army

Irish Army

United States Army

United States Marine Corps

Disambiguation

See also