merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

1

law : the absorption of an estate, a contract, or an interest in another, of a minor offense in a greater, or of a cause of action into a judgment

2

a

: the act or process of merging

b

: absorption by a corporation of one or more others

also : any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (such as business concerns)

Synonyms

• combination
• combining
• connecting
• connection
• consolidation
• coupling
• junction
• linking
• merging
• unification
• union

Examples of merger in a Sentence

The law firm announced its $50 million merger with one of its competitors.

If the proposed merger of the two oil companies goes through, it would be bad for the economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Key Background Trump Media went public in March 2024 through a merger with a blank-check company, more than two years after it was founded following Trump’s departure from the White House. —Zach Everson, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025

Paper co-author and astronomer Erica Hammerstein, also of UC Berkeley, did not find any evidence of a past galaxy merger in Hubble's images of the galaxy. —Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

But in the series premiere, Stuart pulled the rug out from underneath Ted by cutting him out of a merger and taking several of their employees and clients with him to his new gig (working alongside Ted’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha). —Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 9 May 2025

Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment went public in 2020 in a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 8 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

merge + -er (as in waiver)

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing merger

• pre-merger

Rhymes for merger

• verger

Kids Definition

merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

: the combination of two or more businesses into one

Legal Definition

merger

noun

merg·​er ˈmər-jər 

1

: the absorption of a lesser estate or interest into a greater one held by the same person compare confusion

2

: the incorporation and superseding of one contract by another

3

a

: the treatment (as by statute) of two offenses deriving from the same conduct such that a defendant cannot be or is not punished for both especially when one offense is incidental to or necessarily included in the other

a merger of offenses in a statute

a merger of convictions

b

: the doctrine according to which such offenses must be merged compare double jeopardy

Note: Merger commonly involves the interpretation of statutes and legislative intent in deciding whether two or more offenses deriving from the same conduct remain distinct.

4

: a doctrine in civil litigation: a judgment in favor of a plaintiff incorporates and supersedes the cause of action and any claims based on it and requires that further litigation in the case by the defendant be concerned with the judgment itself compare bar sense 3b, estoppel by judgment at estoppel sense 2a, res judicata

5

: the superseding of a prior agreement in a divorce case by the divorce decree

6

a

: the act or process of merging

b

: absorption by one corporation of another

also : any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (as business concerns) compare consolidate

— cash merger

: a merger in which shareholders in the company to be absorbed receive cash for their shares rather than shares in the absorbing company

a tender offer to be followed by a cash merger

see also cash out

— de facto merger

: a merger that is characterized by the issuance of stock to the corporation to be absorbed rather than an outright purchase of assets for cash, by continued participation of the shareholders, directors, and employees of the absorbed corporation, and by an assumption of liabilities by the absorbing corporation

Note: Shareholders in a de facto merger are considered to have the same right to an appraisal of the fair value of their shares as shareholders in a statutory merger.

— short-form merger

: an accelerated statutory merger between a subsidiary and a parent corporation that controls a large specified majority of shares in the subsidiary

— statutory merger

: a merger performed in accordance with relevant statutes that require specific procedures for the notification and approval of shareholders