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car company

car company

29 2.3
A business that makes and sells cars
  • noun
  • /kɑr ˈkʌmpəni/
translation icon : fabricante de automóviles
  • Which car company do you work for?
  • U.S. car company

Well, there haven't been that many car company start-ups.

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Examples

  • And when I meet the heads of the major car companies, they tell me that these new advances are not far away.

    Academic text (2003)
  • It's a little German car company.

  • And, you know, the American car companies just will not listen or learn from it.

  • General Motors was the biggest car company in the world some years ago.

    Blog text (29)
  • At long last, the dead wood at the top of the car companies is dying or retiring.

    Blog text (19)
  • Tesla is bigger than the four NEX car companies combined.

  • With no end to the recession in sight, car companies are now announcing one closure after another.

    Blog text (3)
  • This is why car companies are constantly running TV commercials and billboards.

  • Unless they can meet future EPA emission standards, car companies won't consider bringing them here.

    Blog text (16)
  • Today, Toyota is the leading car company in electric vehicle sales.

Synonyms

automaker
vscar company
87 3.5

A company that makes cars

extends that idea to include the sale of those vehicles
Toyota
vscar company
85 1.0

A Japanese company that makes cars and trucks and the cars it sells

is the general business category rather than a single brand or firm
carmaker
vscar company
15 2.7

A company that makes cars

covers the broader business activity of making and selling vehicles
auto company
vscar company
13 1.6

A business that makes and sells cars

is the general business term for that same company type
car manufacturer
vscar company
8 2.7

A company that makes cars

is used for businesses that also sell as well as produce vehicles
car maker
vscar company
6 2.1

Company that makes cars

also implies the wider business role of selling these products
auto manufacturer
vscar company
5 3.2

A company that makes cars

adds the idea of selling vehicles as part of the business
auto maker
vscar company
1 3.2

A company that makes cars

includes both building and selling vehicles as a business

How Big

car company
29 2.3
startup
169 3.6

Surface Forms

car company singular
car companies plural

Morphology

car + company

The meaning 'a business that manufactures and sells automobiles' is directly and compositionally derived from 'car' (automobile) + 'company' (an organization that sells or produces goods). This noun–noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Car company comes from the simple picture of a group of people (a company) who build and sell cars together, like a workshop with many hands making the same vehicle. So it means a 'business' that makes and sells cars.