ENGLISH
REFERENCE

LTD

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɛɫˈtiˈdi// ltd

adj. Stands for limited. It is a short way of writing 'limited'. It shows that a company's owners only have to pay a set amount of the business's debts if it fails.

adj. Abbreviation for limited. Denoting a limited company, where the liability of shareholders is restricted to the amount they have invested. Post-positive — it follows the name of the business it describes.


SIMPLE

The business is registered as Smith and Sons Ltd.

CONTEXTUAL

Before signing the contract, the lawyer checked if the firm was a registered Ltd company to understand their legal liability.

COMPLEX

While many small businesses operate as sole traders, incorporating as an Ltd entity provides a layer of financial protection for the directors' personal assets against corporate insolvency.

Usage

Always capitalised and placed immediately after the company name. In British English, it is often written without a full stop.

Pitfall

The Ltd Smith CompanySmith Company LtdLtd is a post-positive adjective; it must follow the noun it modifies rather than preceding it.

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