Company Law Glossary UK: Terms Explained (2026)

Overview

A glossary is, in practical terms, a dictionary with a narrower focus. This one is built around the language of UK company and corporate law, which blends statutory wording from the Companies Act 2006 with long-established commercial law concepts and modern dispute resolution terminology.

The goal here is not to reproduce textbook definitions. It is to give you a working understanding of what each term actually means when it turns up in a board minute, a share purchase agreement, a Companies House filing, or a letter from the other side's lawyers.

Some of these terms have very precise legal meanings that have been shaped by case law over decades. Others are simply shorthand used in day-to-day business. Where a term has different meanings in different contexts, the entry flags that. This reference is a starting point to help you follow a discussion or read a document with more confidence, not a substitute for guidance on a specific issue you are facing.

Key steps

1. Start with the filing you are looking at. If a term has come up in a specific document, such as a Confirmation Statement, an SH01, or a set of draft Articles, begin there. The surrounding words usually tell you which sense of the term applies, because the same word can mean slightly different things in different corporate contexts.
2. Check which part of the glossary applies. Part I leans toward Companies House and the administrative side of running a company. Part II covers wider corporate and commercial law concepts you meet in transactions and disputes. Some terms sit in both areas, so it is worth scanning across both parts rather than stopping at the first hit.
3. Read the definition alongside the source document. Definitions work best when you map them back to the clause or form that prompted the question. If the glossary says a debenture must be registered at Companies House to take effect, check whether that registration has actually happened for the document in front of you.
4. Note anything that looks ambiguous or time-sensitive. Some concepts, such as directors' duties or minority shareholder remedies, depend on facts and timing. If a definition suggests there are deadlines, notice requirements, or conditions to satisfy, write those down so you can raise them before they become urgent.
5. Get a conversation if the stakes are real. A glossary entry tells you what a word means. It does not tell you whether the clause is a good idea for your business, whether a filing is overdue, or whether a dispute is worth pursuing. For those questions, a phone call with someone who can listen to your situation is far more useful than any written definition.

Common questions