privately held
Ownership kept internal
Privately held describes a company whose shares are not traded on public stock exchanges.
Ownership stays with founders, families, investors, or employees rather than being available to the general public: The company remains privately held after three generations.
Privately held firms face less regulatory scrutiny but have fewer options for raising capital than publicly traded companies.
- unlistedNot in any registry
- incorporatedLegally formed as company
- nonpublicRestricted from general access
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- undisclosedNot made known
off the books · family trust · limited liability · succession planning · family-owned · family business · enterprise · business · generational wealth · partnership · silent partner · shareholder agreement · corporate governance · investment strategy · exit strategy · board of directors · family council · fiduciary duty
privately heldpublicly held
Owned by stock purchasers
listed · public company · exchange-traded · quoted · floated
privately heldstate-owned
Belonging to government
government-owned · nationalized · state-run · public sector · socialized
private, privately, privatize, privatization, privation, deprive, deprivation, privy, privilege