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

To be sure, the PE business has suffered from overpaying for its buyout picks in the period of ultra-low interest rates, a problem that’s forcing them to hold their portfolio companies for extended periods, and curtailed profits when they’re sold. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026

Fred agreed at the end of the season to restructure that big contract, taking a $250,000 pay cut, giving up a $500,000 bonus and dropping his buyout by $4 million. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026

Verb

Sandoval and Schwartz owned 10 percent of Tom Tom (that’s 5 percent each), but the boys have long since been bought out. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

John Moutos, who immigrated to the United States from Greece, bought into the restaurant with three partners around 1941, and by the late ’40s had bought out his partners. —Usa Today Network, USA Today, 20 Mar. 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)