English Reference
Noun

buyout

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈbaɪˌaʊt/ UK /bˈaɪaʊt/ buy·out UK spelling buyouts Finance

n.the act of buying a company or a part of a company. This usually happens when one group of people buys enough shares to take control of the business.

n.the purchase of a controlling interest in a company, often by its own management or an outside investment firm. Frequently involves the acquisition of all outstanding shares to take a public company private.


SIMPLE

The employees are planning a buyout of the small factory.

CONTEXTUAL

After months of negotiation, the tech giant completed its multi-billion dollar buyout of the smaller startup.

COMPLEX

The management buyout was financed through a combination of private equity and high-yield debt, allowing the senior executives to regain full operational control from the parent corporation.

Usage

Often used in the compound forms 'management buyout' (MBO) or 'leveraged buyout' (LBO).

But he has a contract until June 2030, a €500m buyout clause, and Atlético won’t sell him.

The Guardian· 24 Aug 2026

Photograph: EA Games EA staff have been speaking anonymously to the industry-news site Game Developer about their concerns after the Saudi-led buyout of Electronic Arts .

The Guardian· 2 Sept 2026

Deverbal from buy out.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated