buyout

1 of 2

noun

buy·​out ˈbī-ˌau̇t How to pronounce buyout (audio)
1
: an act or instance of buying out
2
: a financial incentive offered to an employee in exchange for an early retirement or voluntary resignation

buy out

2 of 2

verb

bought out; buying out; buys out

transitive verb

1
: to purchase the share or interest of
2
: to purchase the entire stock-in-trade and the goodwill of (a business)

Examples of buyout in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Federal workers have less than a week left to take Trump's buyout. Brooke Conrad, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2025 Shortly after, the Trump administration offered buyouts to nearly all civilian federal workers to quit by Feb. 6. Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
Verb
Forward Deyna Castellanos was bought out of her contract in January and joined Portland as a free agent. Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025 On Tuesday alone, Trump offered to buy out any federal employees who resign by Feb. 6, and signed an executive order aiming to restrict youth gender-affirming care — diverting headlines from the funding freeze. Erin Doherty, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for buyout 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of buyout was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near buyout

Cite this Entry

“Buyout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buyout. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.

Legal Definition

buyout

1 of 2 noun
buy·​out ˈbī-ˌau̇t How to pronounce buyout (audio)
: an act or instance of buying out

buy out

2 of 2 transitive verb
1
: to purchase the share or interest of
2
: to purchase the entire tangible and intangible assets of (a business)

More from Merriam-Webster on buyout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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