Basic Details
Word: Company
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A business that makes or sells things; also being with other people, or a group of people, such as a group of soldiers or actors.
Synonyms: firm, business, companionship, group
Antonyms: loneliness, solitude
How to Spell Company
Syllables: com - pa - ny
Tricky part: The middle vowel sounds like uh but is spelt a, and the word ends in a plain y. The first part is com, with m before p.
Watch out for: compeny, cumpany, companey
Memory tip: Company keeps a pan in its middle: com-pan-y. Friends who share a pan of food are good company.
Idioms and Phrases
- two's company, three's a crowd: two people may want to be alone, and a third person can spoil it Example: "When Riya and Tara began whispering secrets, I decided two's company, three's a crowd and went off to read."
- keep someone company: stay with someone so they are not alone Example: "I kept Grandma company while she waited for the doctor."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Her father works for a software company in Bengaluru.
Example 2: The dog was good company for the old shopkeeper.
Example 3: A theatre company from Kolkata performed at our school.
Fun Fact
Company comes from Old French compagnie, from Latin com (with) and panis (bread): companions were, at first, people who ate bread together.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. company 2. emploee 3. busines 4. managment
a) the people in charge of running an organisation
b) a business that makes or sells things
c) a person who works for someone else for pay
d) the work of buying, selling or making goods
Show answer
b) a business that makes or sells things. Company is the only correct one here; the others are employee, business and management.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to company as used in the sentence:
Your grandmother will enjoy your company on the long drive to Agra.
a) loneliness
b) transport
c) business
d) companionship
Show answer
d) companionship. Here company means being with someone, which is companionship, not a business.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The pynomac building the new metro line hired over two thousand workers.
a) comply
b) compact
c) company
d) canopy
Show answer
c) company. Canopy has no m, and compact and comply each need letters missing from the jumble.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
companny
a) n
b) y
c) a
d) p
Show answer
a) n. Only one n comes before the y.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If you keep someone company, you ____.
a) stay with them so they are not alone
b) lend them money
c) send them a letter
d) give them a job
Show answer
a) stay with them so they are not alone
2. What is the plural of company?
a) companyes
b) companes
c) companies
d) companys
Show answer
c) companies
