buyback

noun

buy·​back ˈbī-ˌbak 

: the act or an instance of buying something back

In Boston and other cities, gun buyback programs dramatically call attention to the profusion of firearms among the young …

—Diane Weathers

Talks of a potential buyback come as Volkswagen and federal regulators discuss ways to bring the more than half-million affected Volkswagen cars in the US up to current emissions standards.

—Bryan Logan

especially : the repurchase by a corporation of shares of its own common stock usually on the open market

Most corporate buybacks involve a repurchase by a company of part of its outstanding common stock at a fixed price, which is normally sufficiently higher than the market price to attract the desired number of shares.

—Leonard Sloane

This stock buyback boom, while obscure to much of the public, has become one of the most pervasive and divisive practices in corporate America.

—Michael Kranish

Examples of buyback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

San Mateo County law enforcement agencies will hold an anonymous gun buyback event on May 4 in South San Francisco, according to the county’s sheriff’s office. —Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Shareholder payouts rebounded in the fourth quarter for S&P 500 companies, and buybacks revived after four consecutive quarters of declines, BI data show. —Jess Menton, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024

Tencent alone accounted for about 40% of total share buybacks in the Hong Kong market. —Laura He, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024

His church has already held two buyback sessions that collected about 350 guns from local residents in exchange for gift certificates at stores. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 31 Mar. 2024

Recent laws to tax share buybacks and reduce tax benefits for expatriates — alongside a bill that would cap the number of foreign students allowed to study in the country — have set off alarms at firms that rely on international talent. —Bysarah Jacob, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024

The company also expects to buy an additional $500 million in stock, bringing its buyback total in fiscal year 2024 to $2.5 billion. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Mar. 2024

Yaw then met with Oakland County commissioners and police chiefs to talk about gun buyback programs. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 31 Mar. 2024

That gives Apple unmatched resources to push into new markets and still return cash to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks. —Jeran Wittenstein, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

buyback

noun

buy·​back ˈbī-ˌbak 

: an act or instance of buying something back

especially : the repurchase by a corporation of shares of its own common stock on the open market