ltd.

IPA/lˈɪmɪtɪd/
KK[lˈɪmɪtɪd]IPA/lˈɪmɪtɪd/

ltd. — abbreviation

1. a short written form of 'Limited', placed at the end of a registered company's n

1.abbreviationB1
Definition

a short written form of 'Limited', placed at the end of a registered company's name in the UK and many Commonwealth countries to signal that its shareholders' personal financial risk is capped at the amount they invested.

Example

Tunde signed the delivery papers for Watanabe Kitchenware Ltd. at the loading dock.

appears after a full company name in formal documents

The contract was issued by Riverside Bakery Ltd., based in a small town near Manchester.

passive frame: 'issued by [Company] Ltd.'

Common collocations
  • Company Name Ltd.
  • trading as ... Ltd.
  • addressed to ... Ltd.
  • registered as ... Ltd.
Synonyms
  • Limited

    the full word 'Ltd.' stands for; used interchangeably in legal documents

  • LLC

    American equivalent for a similar business structure; not interchangeable in British contexts

  • PLC

    British public limited company; shares can be sold to the public, unlike a private Ltd.

Grammar Patterns

[Company Name] Ltd.

[Company Name] Ltd

Usage Note

Used only in writing, never spoken aloud as 'el-tee-dee' — readers say 'Limited' instead. Always positioned directly after the company name, often with a period in British and Commonwealth usage and sometimes without (style varies).

Common Mistakes

I work for Ltd. Sunrise Coffee.
I work for Sunrise Coffee Ltd.
'Ltd.' must follow the company name, never precede it.
She runs her own Ltd.
She runs her own limited company.
'Ltd.' is not a standalone noun; it only attaches to a company's registered name.

Word family

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

A shortened written form of the English adjective 'limited', which entered English through Old French 'limiter' from Latin 'limitare' (to bound, set a boundary). The legal company form known as a 'limited company' was developed in 19th-century Britain to cap the personal financial risk of shareholders, and 'Ltd.' became the standard suffix used in company registrations from that period onward.