unsubscribe

verb un·sub·scribe \ ˌən-səb-ˈskrīb \

Definition of unsubscribe

unsubscribed; unsubscribing

: to stop subscribing to an e-mail mailing list : to choose to no longer receive e-mail communications (such as newsletters or advertisements) from a company or organization

When you first subscribe, you will receive information on how to unsubscribe …
—Stuart J. Goldman

Recent Examples of unsubscribe from the Web

This apparently isn't new to those poor Fyre Festival list-serve recipients who've yet to unsubscribe.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Fyre Festival Ticket Buyers Report Strange Burning Man Scam," 24 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unsubscribe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unsubscribe

1981

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Financial Definition of UNSUBSCRIBE

unsubscribe

verb

What It Is

The term unsubscribed describes the portion of the shares in an IPO that are not sold prior to the IPO.

How It Works

Let’s assume Company XYZ is going public. It plans to issue 10 million shares in an initial public offering. Its investment bank, Bank ABC, agrees to underwrite the IPO. Bank ABC creates a document detailing Company XYZ’s business model, financial forecasts and the terms of the offering, and it meets with potential investors to gauge their interest in purchasing the 10 million shares. After this process, Bank ABC agrees to sell 9 million shares for $25 per share. The remaining 1 million are unsubscribed, meaning they don't have a buyer.

Why It Matters

IPOs often become unsubscribed because the price is too high. Sometimes, a back stop purchaser agrees to buy leftover shares from the underwriter of an equity or rights offering. A back stop purchaser is like insurance -- the purchaser guarantees in some form that a company (and its investment bank) will raise the money it intends to raise.

In our example, if for some reason Bank ABC can’t sell all the shares in the IPO (this is called the unsubscribed portion), the back stop purchaser agrees to buy those leftovers. The back stop purchaser, of course, obtains a fee for agreeing to be the back stop because it is taking on the risk of having to purchase (and they try to reissue) the Company XYZ securities.

Source: Investing Answers