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Quite often, I read a company is headquartered somewhere. When is this acceptable? To my ear, headquartering sound distinctly wrong, but http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headquarter lists it as

  • transitive verb: to place in headquarters
  • intransitive verb: to make one's headquarters

I'm not sure what "to make one's headquarters" means here.

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  • ... Set up base.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 17:23
  • Try using a different dictionary. If you Google "makes its headquarters", you will find lots of hits of the form "X makes its headquarters in Chicago." But that definition isn't very enlightening if you don't know that idiom.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 17:28
  • To "make ones headquarters" means to create/place the "main office".
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 17:33
  • The building where the senior leadership team makes its offices is usually called the headquarters- Literally: "where the head (CEO) is quartered (lodged)."
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 17:35
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    It should be noted that "is headquartered" is just slightly informal. If you want to be fully formal you would say "CompanyXX has it's headquarters at/in SomeLocation", or something like that.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 17:36

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To headquarter:( intr.)

  • to establish one's headquarters.

Looking at Ngram the expression the company is headquartered has been more and more common since the 60's. It refers to the fact that the company in question has established its headquarters in that place.

  • Dawn Exports was established in 2000. The company is headquartered in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The company manufactures and supplies horticultural products and bio- diesel. (2008)

  • Companies are also encouraged to promptly distribute their releases to Associated Press and United Press International as well as to newspapers in New York City and in cities where the company is headquartered or has plants or other ...(2007)

  • The company is headquartered in Toronto. John Cruickshank, former vice-president and creative director at Case Associates in Toronto...(1978)

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