buyout

1 of 2

noun

buy·​out ˈbī-ˌau̇t 

1

: an act or instance of buying out

2

: a financial incentive offered to an employee in exchange for an early retirement or voluntary resignation

buy out

2 of 2

verb

bought out; buying out; buys out

transitive verb

1

: to purchase the share or interest of

2

: to purchase the entire stock-in-trade and the goodwill of (a business)

Examples of buyout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Microsoft last month offered voluntary buyouts to some 60,000 employees, about one-fourth of its total workforce, as the company (like other big tech firms) looks to cut costs while also spending heavily on AI infrastructure. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026

Leonardo Maria’s half-brother, Rocco Basilico, argued that the buyout plan was significant enough to require supermajority approval. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 12 Nov. 2026

Verb

Erlichman bought out her contract from her previous manager for $750 with a loan from Streisand. — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 1 Nov. 2026

One grocer told our team that two cooperative distributors – which had served smaller, independent grocers – merged and were bought out by a private equity firm. — Michelle Miller, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing buyout

• leveraged buyout

Rhymes for buyout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

Legal Definition

buyout

1 of 2 noun

buy·​out ˈbī-ˌau̇t 

: an act or instance of buying out

buy out

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to purchase the share or interest of

2

: to purchase the entire tangible and intangible assets of (a business)