Definition:
A "closely held corporation" is a type of company where most of its stock (or shares) is owned by a small number of people. These people are usually the founders of the company or their family and friends. The shares of this corporation are not sold to the general public on the stock market, meaning they are not publicly traded. The owners often do not plan to sell their shares.
In legal and financial discussions, you might see this term used to differentiate between closely held corporations and publicly traded companies. For example: - "A closely held corporation might have different tax benefits compared to a publicly traded corporation."
While there are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs directly related to "closely held corporation," you may find these useful in business discussions: - "Keep it in the family": This idiom means to keep ownership or control of something within a family, similar to how closely held corporations often stay within a family. - "Buy in": This phrasal verb means to invest or become part of a business, which can be relevant when discussing shareholders in a closely held corporation.