corporation
n.-
1 a large company (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawa large company or business that is owned by many people but acts as a single unit.
a large business organisation that is legally recognised as a single entity, separate from its owners or shareholders.
ExampleThe multinational corporation has offices in over fifty different countries.
ExampleThe corporation faced significant legal challenges after failing to disclose its environmental impact to the board of directors.
UsageOften used with 'multinational' or 'global' to describe very large businesses.
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2 city government (n.) C1 Advanced British English Formalthe group of people who govern a city or town.
the municipal governing body of a city or borough, particularly in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations.
ExampleThe city corporation decided to build a new park in the town centre.
ExampleThe City of London Corporation manages the financial district and maintains several major bridges across the Thames.
UsageUsually capitalised when referring to a specific city's governing body.
- council
- municipality
- local government
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3 a large belly (n.) C2 Proficiency Humorous Slang Archaica humorous way to describe a person's large, round stomach.
a protruding belly or paunch, used as a humorous metaphor for physical bulk.
ExampleHe had developed quite a corporation after years of eating rich food.
ExampleThe old gentleman patted his impressive corporation with a look of deep satisfaction after the three-course meal.
Teacher's tipThis sense is very rare in modern speech and is mostly found in older literature or used by older speakers for comedic effect.
- potbelly
- paunch
- gut
From Middle English corporacion, corporation, from Late Latin corporatio (“assumption of a body”), from Latin corporatus, past participle of corporare (“to form into a body”); see corporate. (protruding belly): Perhaps a play on the word corpulence.