buyback

noun

buy·​back ˈbī-ˌbak 

: the act or an instance of buying something back

In Boston and other cities, gun buyback programs dramatically call attention to the profusion of firearms among the young …

—Diane Weathers

Talks of a potential buyback come as Volkswagen and federal regulators discuss ways to bring the more than half-million affected Volkswagen cars in the US up to current emissions standards.

—Bryan Logan

especially : the repurchase by a corporation of shares of its own common stock usually on the open market

Most corporate buybacks involve a repurchase by a company of part of its outstanding common stock at a fixed price, which is normally sufficiently higher than the market price to attract the desired number of shares.

—Leonard Sloane

This stock buyback boom, while obscure to much of the public, has become one of the most pervasive and divisive practices in corporate America.

—Michael Kranish

Examples of buyback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yaw then met with Oakland County commissioners and police chiefs to talk about gun buyback programs. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 31 Mar. 2024

That gives Apple unmatched resources to push into new markets and still return cash to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks. —Jeran Wittenstein, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024

Over the past decade, Boeing has spent more than $40 billion on stock buybacks, paid out almost $22 billion in dividends, and spent $573 million on executive pay. —Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

The Missouri Invasive Plant Council, which includes Callery pear trees on its list of invasive plants, began a tree buyback program in 2019 with the support of the Missouri Department of Conservation. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024

FedEx stock jumped more than 12% during after-hours trading on Thursday after the company reported a better-than-expected third quarter and announced a new $5 billion share buyback program. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Mar. 2024

Drivers who held their shares are finally seeing meaningful gains—partly because of a new share buyback program implemented by the company—with shares now at $76. —Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024

Other ideas included increasing taxes on stock buybacks, limiting CEO compensation and cracking down on tax loopholes for corporate jets. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024

Since 2012, when Dodd-Frank Act and Basel III rules started being phased incrementally, bank regulations have not slowed down U.S. banks’ dividend payouts, share buybacks, asset growth, earnings, their political contributions to legislators, or executive compensation. —Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

buyback

noun

buy·​back ˈbī-ˌbak 

: an act or instance of buying something back

especially : the repurchase by a corporation of shares of its own common stock on the open market