leveraged

adjective

lev·​er·​aged ˈle-və-rijd 

ˈlē-;

ˈlev-rijd, 

ˈlēv-

1

: having a high proportion of debt relative to equity

2

of the purchase of a company : made with borrowed money that is secured by the assets of the company bought

a leveraged buyout

Examples of leveraged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment fund has separately led a group in a $55-billion takeover of videogame developer Electronic Arts, which is so far the largest leveraged buyout ever. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Separately, leveraged funds’ long positioning in Russell 2000 index futures is now at the 94th percentile of readings from the past two years. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026

Gold mining stocks provide leveraged exposure to gold prices but add company-specific risks. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026

Media and entertainment is seeing a major shakeup in a burst of dealmaking from M&A to spinoffs, AI investment and leveraged buyouts, setting the stage for a pivotal 2026. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leveraged

• leveraged buyout