co.

IPA/kˈəʊ/
KK[kˈo]IPA/kˈoʊ/

co. — 縮寫

1. short way of writing 'company' in the name of a business, usually placed after a

1.縮寫B1
釋義

公司

company的縮寫，用於公司名稱中

short way of writing 'company' in the name of a business, usually placed after a personal or family name and an ampersand

例句

The sign above the shop read Tunde & Co. Tailors in gold paint.

店面上方的招牌用金漆寫著「Tunde & Co. Tailors」。

appears after personal name + & in business names

Hari worked as a junior accountant at Patel & Co. for nine years.

Hari 在 Patel & Co. 擔任了九年的初級會計。

同義詞
  • Inc.

    American abbreviation for 'Incorporated' — used for limited-liability corporations rather than informal partnerships

  • Ltd.

    British abbreviation for 'Limited' — signals a private limited company structure

文法句型

written after a business name

Smith & Co.

用法筆記

Only used inside a registered business name; never replaces the word 'company' in running prose. Always followed by a period in American writing; British writing sometimes drops it.

常見錯誤

❌I work for a large co.
✅I work for a large company.
💡'co.' only appears as part of a fixed business name, not as a general noun for 'company'.

2. short way of writing 'county' before the name of a place, used mostly in Irish a

2.縮寫B2
釋義

郡；縣

county的縮寫，用於愛爾蘭等地址前

short way of writing 'county' before the name of a place, used mostly in Irish and British postal addresses to mark which county the town belongs to

例句

Élise mailed the parcel to her cousin in Killarney, Co. Kerry, last Friday.

Élise 上週五把包裹寄到表妹位於 Killarney（Co. Kerry）的住處。

appears before an Irish county name in addresses

Minho rented a small farmhouse in Co. Galway for the summer holiday.

Minho 在 Co. Galway 租了一間小農舍度暑假。

同義詞
  • Cty.

    alternative American abbreviation, common on US road signs and county-level documents

文法句型

written before a county name

Co. Cork

用法筆記

Most common in Irish addresses (Co. Cork, Co. Kerry, Co. Down) and on UK historical maps. Distinguish from sense 1 (company) by position — county 'Co.' precedes a place name; company 'Co.' follows a personal name with '&'.

常見錯誤

❌I visited Cork Co. last summer.
✅I visited Co. Cork last summer.
💡the abbreviation goes before the county name, not after.

3. short way of writing 'Commanding Officer', the person who is in charge of a grou

3.縮寫B2
釋義

指揮官

軍中部隊指揮官縮寫

short way of writing 'Commanding Officer', the person who is in charge of a group of soldiers, sailors, or air crew and gives them their orders

例句

Tariq saluted the CO before stepping into the briefing tent at dawn.

Tariq 在天亮時走進簡報帳棚前，先向指揮官敬禮。

everyday in-service usage: salute / report to the CO

Every platoon leader must report any injuries to the CO within two hours.

每位排長都必須在兩小時內向指揮官回報任何傷亡情況。

同義詞
  • commander

    general word for any military leader; CO refers specifically to the officer in charge of one unit

  • OC

    British military variant 'Officer Commanding' — used for company-level units rather than battalions

反義詞
  • XO

    Executive Officer — second-in-command, who reports to the CO

文法句型

used in military communication and documents

the CO of [unit]

用法筆記

Usually written without periods (CO) in modern military style, though older documents and dictionaries still list it as 'co.' Always takes 'the' before it when referring to a specific officer.

常見錯誤

❌A co. visited our base.
✅A CO visited our base.' / 'The CO visited our base.
💡military abbreviations of ranks and roles are almost always written in capital letters without a period.

4. two-letter symbol for the US state of Colorado, written after a city name on env

4.縮寫B2
釋義

科羅拉多州

美國科羅拉多州郵政代碼

two-letter symbol for the US state of Colorado, written after a city name on envelopes and forms so the postal service knows where to deliver

例句

Hannah addressed the birthday card to her grandmother in Boulder, CO.

Hannah 把生日卡寄給住在科羅拉多州 Boulder（CO）的祖母。

standard US postal format: city, CO + ZIP code

The shipping label clearly showed Denver, CO 80202 as the delivery point.

出貨標籤清楚顯示送達地點為科羅拉多州 Denver（CO 80202）。

同義詞
  • Colo.

    older traditional abbreviation for Colorado, still seen in books published before the 1960s

文法句型

written after a city name in US postal addresses

Denver, CO 80202

用法筆記

Always written in capital letters as 'CO' (no period) in modern US postal addresses, following the US Postal Service two-letter code system. The period form 'Co.' for Colorado is now rare and appears mostly in older atlases.

常見錯誤

❌I live in co.
✅I live in Colorado.' / 'I live in CO.
💡the abbreviation is only for addresses and forms, never for general writing about the state.

5. short way of writing 'care of', used on letters and parcels to show that a piece

5.縮寫B2
釋義

由…轉交

care of的縮寫，請人代收郵件

short way of writing 'care of', used on letters and parcels to show that a piece of mail should reach the named person through a different person or address

例句

Sari posted the letter to her brother c/o Mrs. Park at the language school.

Sari 把信寄給弟弟，由語言學校的 Mrs. Park 代轉。

commonly written as 'c/o' on the envelope line below the addressee

Please send the documents to me c/o the Tokyo office until further notice.

在另行通知前，請把文件由東京辦公室代轉給我。

同義詞
  • att.

    abbreviation of 'attention' — directs mail to a person inside an organization, but doesn't imply forwarding through them

  • via

    less formal alternative — 'via my office', shows the path mail takes

文法句型

written between two addressees on mail

Name, c/o Other Name

用法筆記

Almost always written as 'c/o' rather than 'co.' on real envelopes. Always names a person or organization after it that will pass the mail on to the real recipient. Distinguish from sense 1 — 'c/o' includes a slash and stands BETWEEN two named parties.

常見錯誤

❌Send it co. my office.
✅Send it c/o my office.
💡when meaning 'care of', the standard form on mail includes a slash between the letters.

6. short way of writing 'conscientious objector', a person who refuses to serve in

6.縮寫C1
釋義

良心拒戰者

因信仰拒服兵役者的縮寫

short way of writing 'conscientious objector', a person who refuses to serve in the army because their religious or moral beliefs are against killing or fighting in war

例句

Eric's grandfather was registered as a CO during the Second World War.

Eric 的祖父在二次世界大戰期間被登記為良心拒戰者。

common pattern: registered / classified / known as a CO

The museum displayed letters written by COs who refused to carry weapons in 1942.

博物館展出 1942 年拒持武器的良心拒戰者所寫的書信。

同義詞
  • pacifist

    broader term — opposes all war on principle; a CO is the formal legal status for refusing military service

  • draft resister

    American term used during the Vietnam War — refuses to register for the draft, often without claiming religious grounds

反義詞
  • enlistee

    person who voluntarily joins the military, opposite stance to a CO

文法句型

used in historical and military records

registered as a CO

用法筆記

Mostly appears in historical writing about the World Wars or in modern conscription debates. The full phrase 'conscientious objector' is preferred in academic and journalistic prose; 'CO' is reserved for archive records and military paperwork.

常見錯誤

❌He became a co. for moral reasons.
✅He became a CO for moral reasons.
💡when meaning 'conscientious objector', the abbreviation is written in capitals.