I. sub ‧ sid ‧ i ‧ a ‧ ry 1 /səbˈsɪdiəri $ -dieri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural subsidiaries ) [countable]
a company that is owned or controlled by another larger company:
a subsidiary of a US company
one of our Japanese subsidiaries
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THESAURUS
▪ company an organization that makes or sells something, or provides a service:
big oil companies
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telephone companies
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He runs a software company.
▪ firm a company, especially one that provides a service rather than producing goods:
a law firm
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a firm of accountants
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a security firm
▪ business a company – often used when talking about a company that employs only a small number of people:
She set up her own catering business.
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small businesses
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a family business
▪ corporation a large company that often includes several smaller companies:
IBM is one of the biggest corporations in the world.
▪ multinational a very large company with offices in many different countries:
American multinationals are establishing research and development facilities across the developing world.
▪ conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒmərət, kənˈɡlɒmərɪt $ -ˈɡlɑː-/ a very large company that consists of several different companies which have joined together:
The company was taken over by a German media conglomerate.
▪ giant a word used mainly by newspapers for a very large company:
Their clients include the retail giant, Wal-Mart.
▪ subsidiary a company that is owned by a larger company:
The company runs its New York operations through a US subsidiary.
II. subsidiary 2 AC BrE AmE adjective formal
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: subsidiarius , from subsidium ; ⇨ ↑ subsidy ]
connected with, but less important than, something else SYN secondary :
a subsidiary hypothesis
subsidiary to
All other issues are subsidiary to this one.