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

More than 100,000 shoppers purchased these exfoliating pads last month, and they're frequently repurchased, too. — Genevieve Cepeda, InStyle, 27 June 2026

But, since news leaked of the city’s substantial efforts to repurchase the meters, the administration has refused to share details of its bid and associated documents with the council. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Management decides whether to reinvest in the business, make acquisitions, reduce debt, repurchase shares, pay dividends, or sell assets. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Lastly, Baird reiterated one of our longstanding views that Capital One is well-capitalized and has plenty of firepower to repurchase stock. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 June 2026

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)