corporate

adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rət 

1

a

: formed into an association and endowed by law with the rights and liabilities of an individual : incorporated

b

: of or relating to a corporation

a plan to reorganize the corporate structure

c

: of, relating to, or being the large corporations of a country or region considered as a unit

the latest trend in corporate America

d

: having qualities (such as commercialism or lack of originality) associated with large corporations or attributed to their influence or control

corporate rock music

corporate art

2

: of, relating to, or formed into a unified body of individuals

Human law arises by the corporate action of a people …

—George H. Sabine

3

: corporative sense 2

corporately adverb

Synonyms

• commercial
• marketable
• mass-market
• salable
• saleable

Examples of corporate in a Sentence

We have to change the corporate structure to survive.

A bunch of corporate types in suits were sitting at the table in the conference room.

He is one of the most powerful men in corporate America.

The business is a corporate entity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Well, Trump hijacked a corporate party, which hardly seemed like a vehicle for proletarian revolt, and did exactly that. —David Brooks, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

The company highlighted the impact of its Reorganization plan, which resulted in a significant reduction in corporate personnel and functions to promote efficiency and local market accountability. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

Depending on the outcome of House races, a GOP Senate could also enable the second Trump administration to pursue policy priorities like rolling back the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and renewing corporate tax cuts. —Li Zhou, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024

The reality is that banks often rely on external consultants for specialized knowledge, which can delay innovation due to lengthy corporate processes. —Oleg Chanchikov, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin corporātus, past participle of corporāre "to form into a body, form (an organized social group)," verbal derivative of corpor-, corpus "body, organized group of people" — more at midriff

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing corporate

• anti-corporate
• body corporate
• corporate conglomeration
• corporate ladder
• corporate welfare
• corporate-wide
• inter-corporate

Kids Definition

corporate

adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rət 

1

a

: formed into a corporation

b

: of, relating to, or being a corporation

take corporate action

2

: of, relating to, or being a whole composed of individuals

united together and took corporate action

corporately adverb

Legal Definition

corporate

1 of 2 adjective

cor·​po·​rate ˈkȯr-pə-rət 

: of or relating to a business corporation

corporate

2 of 2 noun

: a bond issued by a business corporation