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
bought out; buying out; buys out
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
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Kotick would almost certainly need co-investors to raise enough money for a buyout: The Journal reported that Kotick has run the idea by other tech executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Necker Island, which has historically only been available for whole-island buyouts, recently opened to individual bookings.
—Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
The most lucrative deals are instead take-private deals, with cosmetics company L’Occitane and luggage maker Samsonite reportedly considering buyouts.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 22 Apr. 2024
The transitional costs associated with luring him from Oregon — including a buyout, taxes, etc. — account for the other $14 million.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
The broader buyout industry has dealt with the same challenges as many others, owing to high interest rates and lower dealmaking appetite.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
It was taken private in 2011 in a $1.6 billion leveraged buyout, and the company took on even more debt in the following years to stay afloat.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The lack of postseason success put the heat on Calipari at Kentucky, creating speculation he could be fired despite having a buyout of more than $34 million.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
The 37-year-old Philadelphia native had his contract bought out and was released over the weekend by Charlotte, which acquired him from Miami last month.
—Tom Withers, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024
Robert Rowling Rowling bought out Omni hotels in 1996 after selling his family’s oilfields.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Apple has bought out roughly 32 young AI companies in 2023.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
How student housing around USC is transforming a historic Black and Latino neighborhood
Developers have been buying out longtime homeowners in South L.A., transforming a neighborhood west of USC away from single-family homes to modern student housing.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
After a show at the 500-capacity George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Ark., attendees bought out the venue for a second night so Illenium could play again.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
The cases have since been resolved, and the city opted in 2022 to buy out the remaining Ash Street lease obligations.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024
The British government is now the main owner of Sizewell C, having bought out a minority stake held by China General Nuclear, a Chinese state company.
—Stanley Reed, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
Most of the 10 schools are in less-than-ideal position to swallow significant buyouts if the head coach flounders next season.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Kotick would almost certainly need co-investors to raise enough money for a buyout: The Journal reported that Kotick has run the idea by other tech executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Necker Island, which has historically only been available for whole-island buyouts, recently opened to individual bookings.
—Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
The most lucrative deals are instead take-private deals, with cosmetics company L’Occitane and luggage maker Samsonite reportedly considering buyouts.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 22 Apr. 2024
The transitional costs associated with luring him from Oregon — including a buyout, taxes, etc. — account for the other $14 million.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024
The broader buyout industry has dealt with the same challenges as many others, owing to high interest rates and lower dealmaking appetite.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
It was taken private in 2011 in a $1.6 billion leveraged buyout, and the company took on even more debt in the following years to stay afloat.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The lack of postseason success put the heat on Calipari at Kentucky, creating speculation he could be fired despite having a buyout of more than $34 million.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
Less than a year earlier, Elliott had advised the council to reject the mayor’s plan to buy out the Ash Street and Civic Center Plaza leases and said the case should proceed to trial.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
The 37-year-old Philadelphia native had his contract bought out and was released over the weekend by Charlotte, which acquired him from Miami last month.
—Tom Withers, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024
Robert Rowling Rowling bought out Omni hotels in 1996 after selling his family’s oilfields.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Apple has bought out roughly 32 young AI companies in 2023.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
How student housing around USC is transforming a historic Black and Latino neighborhood
Developers have been buying out longtime homeowners in South L.A., transforming a neighborhood west of USC away from single-family homes to modern student housing.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
After a show at the 500-capacity George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Ark., attendees bought out the venue for a second night so Illenium could play again.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
The cases have since been resolved, and the city opted in 2022 to buy out the remaining Ash Street lease obligations.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024
The British government is now the main owner of Sizewell C, having bought out a minority stake held by China General Nuclear, a Chinese state company.
—Stanley Reed, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buyout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Buyout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buyout. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
buyout
1 of 2 noun
buy·out
ˈbī-ˌau̇t 
: an act or instance of buying out
buy out
2 of 2 transitive verb1
: to purchase the share or interest of
2
: to purchase the entire tangible and intangible assets of (a business)
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