corporation

/ˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɔːrpəˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkȯr-pə-ˈrā-shən/ (ame, mw)

corporation — noun

  • corporationsingular
  • corporationsplural

1. A business organization, typically with many employees, that is legally establis

1.名詞B2
釋義

A business organization, typically with many employees, that is legally established to operate as a single unit — for example, Apple Inc. or Toyota Motor Corporation.

例句

Michael applied for a job at a large corporation that makes medical equipment.

The corporation is planning to open new offices across Asia next year.

collocation: corporation + is planning to (future arrangement)

同義詞
  • company

    broader term for any commercial organization, of any size

  • firm

    often used for professional-service businesses like law or accounting

  • enterprise

    more formal, can refer to any size; often suggests initiative and scope

反義詞

文法句型

a/an + corporation

the + corporation

corporation + verb (operates/employs)

用法筆記

Common in compound nouns like corporation tax and corporate law. Often preceded by adjectives such as large, multinational, or global.

常見錯誤

❌I started working for a big corporation company.
✅I started working for a big corporation.
💡corporation already includes the idea of a company, so adding company is redundant.
❌She runs a small corporation with three people.
✅She runs a small company with three people.
💡corporation suggests a large, formally structured organization, not a tiny operation.

2. The group of elected officials and employees who manage public services like was

2.名詞C1
釋義

The group of elected officials and employees who manage public services like waste collection, road maintenance, and local planning in a city or town.

例句

The city corporation has decided to repair all the street lights before the new year.

pattern: the + [city/town] + corporation for municipal body

Residents complained to the corporation about the rubbish collection in their neighborhood.

同義詞

文法句型

the + [city/town] + corporation

the + corporation + of + [place]

用法筆記

Chiefly British English. In the US, similar entities are usually called city council, municipal government, or city hall.

常見錯誤

❌The corporation cleaned the streets.' (ambiguous)
✅The city corporation cleaned the streets.
💡add city or town before corporation to clearly refer to the municipal body.

3. Any group of people or businesses that the law considers to be one legal actor —

3.名詞C1
釋義

Any group of people or businesses that the law considers to be one legal actor — able to own property, sign contracts, and be taken to court, separate from the individuals who created it.

例句

A corporation can own property and sign contracts just like an individual person.

pattern: corporation + can + own/sign (legal capacity)

The law treats the charity as a separate corporation from its founders.

同義詞
反義詞
  • individual

    a single human being, distinct from an artificial legal person

文法句型

create + a + corporation

a/an + corporation

as + a + corporation

用法筆記

Subject is usually a formal entity name or a noun phrase. Frequently used in contrast with individual in legal contexts to distinguish an organization from a human being.

常見錯誤

❌The corporation is a person.
✅The law treats a corporation as a person
💡it can own things and be sued.' — person here is a legal term meaning entity with rights, not a human being.