takeover
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of one company buying another company to take control of it.
the acquisition of a company by another through the purchase of a controlling interest in its share capital.
Simple“The small tech startup was saved from bankruptcy by a friendly takeover.”
In context“The board of directors spent weeks fighting off a hostile takeover bid from their largest competitor.”
UsageOften used with the adjectives 'hostile' or 'friendly' to describe the nature of the purchase.
PitfallThe company was takeover by a rival. The company was taken over by a rival.Use the noun 'takeover' for the event, but use the phrasal verb 'take over' for the action.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a situation where one person or group takes control of something from another.
the act of seizing or assuming control of a facility, organisation, or political entity.
Simple“The military takeover of the government led to months of protests.”
In context“Following the sudden retirement of the founder, the internal takeover by the junior partners proceeded more smoothly than many had anticipated.”
SynonymsAntonymssurrenderrelinquishment
“Now more than two years since taking over at Life Support Systems, and 30-years-old, Aliev has led the takeover of a competitor, which she says has doubled the size of the business.”
Deverbal from take over.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.