electric company
8
2.9
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk ˈkʌmpəni/
:
compañía eléctrica
- The electric company is responsible for providing power to thousands of homes in the region.
- a local electric company
- a neighboring electric company
Examples
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I paid 700 extra to the electric company, so you won't have to worry about that for another three months.
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Call the electric company and see what happened.
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So, um, are you gonna, like, call the electric company or something?
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- We're actually from the electric company.
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- Hi, this is Mike, from the gas and electric company?
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If you want, phone the electric company.
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How are things at the electric company?
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I work for the electric company.
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The electric company has got a full list of vacant houses.
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Our local electric company wanted $3,000 to run electricity to a man's new house.
Blog text (15)
Synonyms
28
3.5
A company that makes and provides electricity to homes and businesses
A company that supplies electricity to homes and businesses
A company that provides electricity to homes and streets
A company that supplies water, electricity, or gas and is run under government rules
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a company that generates/transmits/supplies electricity' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'electric' (relating to electrical power) with 'company' (an organization providing goods or services). This modifier+noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Electric company comes from the simple image of a company that makes and sends electric power. Picture big machines and wires carrying light and power to houses — that's why it means a business that 'supplies electricity' to customers.