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 nounAlex Baumhardtprivate 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
Kelly YamanouchiExamples of private equity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Epstein would also be involved in gifts totaling $950,000 from private equity titan Leon Black to IPI.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Her practice focuses on divorces involving intricate financial structures like hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Southeastern Asset Management, which oversees 4% of Mattel’s stock, said in a letter released Thursday that the company would be better off if owned by a private equity firm, a toy competitor or a media company.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
The company announced it had been acquired by Spell Capital Partners, a Minneapolis private equity firm.
—Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The Big 12 taps into private equity for loans, while Duke cuts a streaming deal with Amazon expected to bring millions more to the Blue Devils.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
The storage facility is owned by the energy infrastructure company VTTI, which is jointly owned by the UAE’s state oil company ADNOC, the commodities trader Vitol, and IFM, a private equity firm.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
Until then, private equity is the solution that lurks as a threat.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Job security has been cited by litigants and regulators in recent years in not just the Nexstar deal but a prior one proposed by Tegna with private equity firm Standard General.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 May 2026
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Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Her practice focuses on divorces involving intricate financial structures like hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Southeastern Asset Management, which oversees 4% of Mattel’s stock, said in a letter released Thursday that the company would be better off if owned by a private equity firm, a toy competitor or a media company.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
The company announced it had been acquired by Spell Capital Partners, a Minneapolis private equity firm.
—Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The Big 12 taps into private equity for loans, while Duke cuts a streaming deal with Amazon expected to bring millions more to the Blue Devils.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
The storage facility is owned by the energy infrastructure company VTTI, which is jointly owned by the UAE’s state oil company ADNOC, the commodities trader Vitol, and IFM, a private equity firm.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
Until then, private equity is the solution that lurks as a threat.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Job security has been cited by litigants and regulators in recent years in not just the Nexstar deal but a prior one proposed by Tegna with private equity firm Standard General.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private equity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20equity. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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