closely held
2
6.6
- adjective
- Specialized
:
empresa cerrada
- Among the issues that the closely held company lobbied on were corporate and estate taxes.
- a closely held corporation
Examples
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Therefore, investors in closely held corporations are more likely to rely on family relationships and friendships than legal protections.
Academic text (2017) -
Review related returns (such as those of corporate officers in a closely held corporation).
Academic text (1996) -
Lastly, the personal nature of closely held corporations drives disputes among shareholders.
Academic text (2017) -
The biggest difference between closely held corporations and large, publicly traded corporations is that investments in the stock of closely held corporations are illiquid.
Academic text (2017) -
Furthermore, the nature of closely held corporations complicates the search for efficient and equitable solutions to shareholder disputes.
Academic text (2017) -
Elaine Tettemer Marshall controls 15 percent of Koch Industries Inc., the second-largest closely held company in the U.S.
Blog text (28) -
Many successful entrepreneurs prefer to keep their startups as closely held companies to maintain control over decision-making.
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A closely held corporation often has a smaller number of shareholders who are involved in its daily operations.
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Investors are drawn to closely held firms because they typically prioritize long-term growth over short-term profits.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense ‘owned by a small number of shareholders, not publicly traded’ can be inferred from combining 'closely' (near/intimate) with 'held' (possessed) — i.e. kept close or in few hands — so there is a clear compositional link. However, the phrase is a specialized business/legal collocation whose precise technical meaning may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Closely held may come from the image of a small group of people holding something tight and close to their bodies so no one else can touch it. The words closely and held suggest tight, private control, which is why the term now means 'owned by a small number of people and not sold to the public'.