# corporate

/ˈkɔɹpɝət/ (US) · /kˈɔːpəɹət/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/corporate
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. relating to a large company

adjective · CEFR B2

relating to a large company or business group.

For teachers: relating to a corporation or large business entity.

- The company moved its corporate headquarters to a larger building in the city center.
- The board of directors is currently reviewing the corporate strategy to ensure long-term sustainability in a volatile global market.

### 2. collective or unified

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

shared by all the members of a group.

For teachers: belonging to or shared by a group as a whole; collective.

- The staff has a corporate responsibility to keep the office clean.
- The success of the project was a result of the corporate effort of the entire research department over the last decade.

### 3. sterile or soulless

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal

describing something that feels boring, plain, or too professional, like it was made by a big company.

For teachers: characterised by a lack of personality or originality; sterile and inoffensive in a way associated with large organisations.

- The new hotel lobby feels a bit too corporate and cold for my taste.
- Critics argued that the artist's new style was too corporate, lacking the raw energy that had defined her earlier work.

### 4. a business bond

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of investment where you lend money to a large company.

For teachers: a debt security issued by a corporation to raise capital.

- He decided to invest his savings in high-yield corporates.
- The portfolio manager increased the fund's exposure to investment-grade corporates as interest rates began to stabilize.

### 5. senior management

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the high-level managers or the main office of a large company.

For teachers: the senior management or the central administrative department of a corporation.

- We need to get approval from corporate before we can hire more staff.
- The local branch managers often feel that corporate is out of touch with the daily challenges faced by retail employees.

## Examples

- She wears corporate clothing to the office every day.
- The new CEO promised to change the corporate culture to make the workplace more inclusive for everyone.
- While the startup began with a loose structure, it eventually adopted a more rigid corporate hierarchy to manage its expanding global operations and satisfy its board of directors.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.