private equity

noun

plural private equities

1

: investment in a company that does not trade on a public stock exchange : interest in a private company

… the proportion of the pension fund parked in private equity grew from nearly 21% of the portfolio in 2014 to about 28% earlier this year.

—Alex Baumhardt

—often used before a noun

private equity investments

2

: investment groups that pool the money of investors in order to acquire ownership shares in private companies

Private equity likes to acquire firms with debt, merge some of them together, find efficiencies, expand and then sell the company or go public on the stock market—in hopes of making a profit for investors.

—Kelly Yamanouchi

Examples of private equity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2026, Sirion secured a majority investment from the private equity firm Haveli Investments, valuing the company at approximately $1 billion. —Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

This year, private equity proposals from both the governor and the legislature passed. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026

The private equity firms are monitoring the company’s share price before deciding whether to make a move, according to the Reuters report, which cites sources familiar with the matter. —Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 15 May 2026

Many owners spent decades building their companies and bristle at the idea of selling to traditional private equity or a bigger company that could restructure their business, lay off employees, and jeopardize their legacy. —Alex Amouyel, Fortune, 14 May 2026

Moonbug is part of Candle Media, which is run by co-chairmen and co-CEOs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, with backing from investment funds managed by Blackstone’s private equity business. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026

One of them, Maine, adopted a bill this April that requires state review and approval of the sale of healthcare facilities when private equity firms are involved. —Rob Davis, ProPublica, 14 May 2026

Ford is the largest shareholder in AGC Studios but founding investors remain ImageNation (out of Abu Dhabi), Latin American investment fund Media Net and Silicon Valley private equity investor Greg Clark. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 May 2026

The Athletic’s seventh annual Michigan survey covers all of those topics, as well as the future of athletic director Warde Manuel, private equity in the Big Ten, postseason expansion and other issues that have dominated the conversation in Ann Arbor. —Austin Meek, New York Times, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for private equity

• inequity