ENGLISH
REFERENCE

PLC

n. countable
C1 Advanced plc

n. Stands for public limited company. A large company in the UK whose shares can be bought and sold by the public. You see these letters after a company's name to show this.

n. Abbreviation for public limited company. A public limited company incorporated under UK company law, which is permitted to offer shares for sale to the general public. The abbreviation is typically appended to the corporate name and requires a minimum share capital.


SIMPLE

The small family business eventually grew into a major PLC.

CONTEXTUAL

After the successful initial public offering, the firm changed its legal status from a private company to a PLC.

COMPLEX

Investors often prefer the transparency requirements of a PLC, as these entities must publish detailed annual reports and adhere to stricter regulatory oversight than private limited companies.

Usage

Typically used as a post-nominal abbreviation in corporate titles; often written without periods in modern British English.

Pitfall

The PLC companyThe PLCThe 'C' in PLC stands for 'company', so adding the word 'company' after the abbreviation is redundant.

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