From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprivate limited companyˌprivate ˌlimited ˈcompany noun [countable] a company whose shares are not bought and sold on the stock market and can only pass to another person with the agreement of other shareholdersFrom Longman Business Dictionaryprivate limited companyˌprivate ˌlimited ˈcompanyFINANCE a company whose shares are not openly traded and can only pass to another person with the agreement of other shareholders → company