ENGLISH
REFERENCE

buy in

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to support an idea or plan because you believe it will be successful.

phr. v.. to accept or commit to a concept, policy, or proposal; often used in organizational contexts to describe stakeholder agreement.


SIMPLE

I need the whole team to buy in to this new strategy.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager spent weeks explaining the changes to ensure everyone would buy in before the launch.

COMPLEX

Without significant buy-in from the local community, the proposed infrastructure project is likely to face insurmountable political opposition.

Particles
in
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
buy + in (+ to + object)
Usage

often used with the preposition 'to' before the object of support.

Teaching tip

this is a common 'business English' term; explain it as 'buying a share' in an idea to show you are invested in its success.

Pitfall

They bought in the plan.They bought into the plan.when followed by an object, the preposition 'into' or 'to' is usually required to show what is being supported.

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