listed company

IPA/ˌlɪs.tɪd ˈkʌm.pə.ni/
IPA/ˌlɪs.tɪd ˈkʌm.pə.ni/

listed company — noun

1. a business whose shares are available for the public to buy and sell on a stock

1.nounB2
Definition

a business whose shares are available for the public to buy and sell on a stock exchange

Example

Devika invested in a listed company that makes electric vehicle batteries.

invested in a listed company — common verb + object pattern

To become a listed company, a business must meet strict rules about reporting its finances.

to become a listed company — infinitive of purpose

Common collocations
  • become a listed company
  • listed on the stock exchange
  • listed company shares
  • listed company status
  • major listed company
  • the country's largest listed companies
Synonyms
  • public company

    Common in British English; often used interchangeably with 'listed company', though some public companies may not be listed on an exchange.

  • publicly traded company

    The standard term in American English for a company whose shares trade on a public exchange.

  • quoted company

    Used primarily in the UK; 'quoted' refers to the stock price being published on an exchange.

Antonyms
  • private company

    A company whose shares are owned by a small group of people and not traded publicly.

  • unlisted company

    A company that is not listed on any stock exchange, though it may still trade shares privately.

Grammar Patterns

a/the listed company

listed company + verb (singular)

Usage Note

Only a company that has passed the listing requirements of a recognised stock exchange can be called a listed company. The term is most common in British English; American English often uses "publicly traded company" instead.

Common Mistakes

Tesla is a limited company on the stock market.
Tesla is a listed company on the stock market.
'limited company' (Ltd) refers to a legal structure with limited liability, not to being traded on a stock exchange.
It is the largest list company in Japan.
It is the largest listed company in Japan.
'listed' is the past participle used as an adjective; the -ed ending must not be dropped.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms refer to a company whose shares are available to the general public through a stock exchange, but they differ in regional preference and technical scope. 'Listed company' is the dominant term in British and Commonwealth English, emphasising that the company appears on an official list maintained by an exchange. 'Public company' is a broader legal category: under UK company law, a public limited company (plc) may or may not be listed on an exchange. 'Publicly traded company' is the standard American term and is more explicit about the trading activity. 'Quoted company' is a UK synonym that refers to the fact that the company's share price is quoted on an exchange. In everyday financial news, 'The five largest listed companies on the Tokyo exchange reported strong growth' is natural British usage, while a US report would say 'publicly traded companies.'

listed company ↗public companypublicly traded companyquoted company

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • listed company on the Stock Exchange
  • become a listed company
  • remain a listed company
  • listed company status

Prepositions

  • listed on
  • listed in

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchLatinEnglish

'Listed' comes from the noun 'list' (a written series of names or items), from Old English 'liste' meaning 'border' or 'edge,' through Old French 'liste.' In the 19th century, stock exchanges began publishing official 'lists' of companies whose shares could be traded, giving rise to the adjective 'listed' for such companies. 'Company' traces back through Anglo-French 'compagnie' to Latin 'companio' (com- 'together' + panis 'bread' — literally 'one who shares bread with another'). The modern sense of a business organisation dates from the 16th century.