merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

1

law : the absorption of an estate, a contract, or an interest in another, of a minor offense in a greater, or of a cause of action into a judgment

2

a

: the act or process of merging

b

: absorption by a corporation of one or more others

also : any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (such as business concerns)

Synonyms

• combination
• combining
• connecting
• connection
• consolidation
• coupling
• junction
• linking
• merging
• unification
• union

Examples of merger in a Sentence

The law firm announced its $50 million merger with one of its competitors.

If the proposed merger of the two oil companies goes through, it would be bad for the economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

The agencies are demanding more information and more evidence of efficiencies in merger reviews. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024

Without oversight or transparency, federal banking regulators at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and FDIC are rolling out onerous new restrictions on bank mergers that will impede free-market activity and harm the financial system. —Joel Griffith, National Review, 24 Apr. 2024

However, the board voted just a year later to pause the middle and high school merger plan. —Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 23 Apr. 2024

While most deals examined under the EU’s merger regulation are eventually approved by Brussels watchdogs, officials are unafraid of wielding a veto if any competition concerns can’t be fixed within strict deadlines. —Samuel Stolton, Fortune Europe, 18 Apr. 2024

The company went public in May 2022 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. —Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

Trump Media went public on the Nasdaq under the ticker DJT on March 26, after completing its merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024

This would be only the latest Hollywood merger in a string of deals, including Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 and Warner Bros.’ union with Discovery in 2022. —Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Kraft Heinz, a food company formed in 2015 through the merger of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation, owns Lunchables. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

merge + -er (as in waiver)

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing merger

• pre-merger

Kids Definition

merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

: the combination of two or more businesses into one

Legal Definition

merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

1

: the absorption of a lesser estate or interest into a greater one held by the same person compare confusion

2

: the incorporation and superseding of one contract by another

3

a

: the treatment (as by statute) of two offenses deriving from the same conduct such that a defendant cannot be or is not punished for both especially when one offense is incidental to or necessarily included in the other

a merger of offenses in a statute

a merger of convictions

b

: the doctrine according to which such offenses must be merged compare double jeopardy

Note: Merger commonly involves the interpretation of statutes and legislative intent in deciding whether two or more offenses deriving from the same conduct remain distinct.

4

: a doctrine in civil litigation: a judgment in favor of a plaintiff incorporates and supersedes the cause of action and any claims based on it and requires that further litigation in the case by the defendant be concerned with the judgment itself compare bar sense 3b, estoppel by judgment at estoppel sense 2a, res judicata

5

: the superseding of a prior agreement in a divorce case by the divorce decree

6

a

: the act or process of merging

b

: absorption by one corporation of another

also : any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (as business concerns) compare consolidate

— cash merger

: a merger in which shareholders in the company to be absorbed receive cash for their shares rather than shares in the absorbing company

a tender offer to be followed by a cash merger

see also cash out

— de facto merger

: a merger that is characterized by the issuance of stock to the corporation to be absorbed rather than an outright purchase of assets for cash, by continued participation of the shareholders, directors, and employees of the absorbed corporation, and by an assumption of liabilities by the absorbing corporation

Note: Shareholders in a de facto merger are considered to have the same right to an appraisal of the fair value of their shares as shareholders in a statutory merger.

— short-form merger

: an accelerated statutory merger between a subsidiary and a parent corporation that controls a large specified majority of shares in the subsidiary

— statutory merger

: a merger performed in accordance with relevant statutes that require specific procedures for the notification and approval of shareholders