repurchase

verb

re·​pur·​chase (ˌ)rē-ˈpər-chəs 

repurchased; repurchasing

transitive verb

: to buy (something) back or again

… some enterprises moving workloads to the cloud won't have to repurchase software they already own.

—Kurt Marko

especially, of a corporation : to purchase back (shares of one's own common stock) on the open market

The company last winter repaid $405 million of debt, repurchased $202 million in common stock and predicted that sales will rise between 3 and 5 percent this year.

—Jeremiah McWilliams

repurchase noun

plural repurchases

… pointed to the trend of share repurchases, or stock buybacks, emerging among major companies … . As they buy back millions, if not billions, of their shares, their supply of stock grows tighter … and their shareholders usually benefit.

—Elizabeth Gurdus

Examples of repurchase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the first three months of 2025, the company repurchased $555 million worth of shares. —David Trainer, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

As for buybacks, the company repurchased $150 million worth of stock in the quarter, bringing its full-year total to $300 million. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 22 July 2025

The butters were ranked on flavor, spreadability, color, creaminess, salt level, and whether or not our tasters would repurchase the butter. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2025

Under a new state law, property owners whose land is taken by any Washington school district through eminent domain, or the threat of it, will have the opportunity to repurchase the real estate if the project does not come to fruition. —Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 19 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing repurchase

• repurchase agreement

Rhymes for repurchase

• purchase

Legal Definition

repurchase

1 of 2 transitive verb

re·​pur·​chase

ˌrē-ˈpər-chəs

repurchased; repurchasing

: to buy back

repurchase shares of stock

repurchase

2 of 2 noun

: the act or an instance of purchasing something again or back

specifically : a corporation's buying back of some of its stock at market price (as to increase the amount of Treasury stock or as a preliminary step to going private)