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

Arizona is one of 10 states that elect their utility regulators, who make decisions about how energy infrastructure is approved, the balance of cleaner or more polluting fuels, regulations around railroad and pipeline safety, and buyback rates for rooftop solar customers, among other topics. —Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024

Even worse, the vast majority of companies did not use these tax cuts to hire new employees but rather put the money toward stock buybacks for their shareholders and executives. —David Trone, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2024

Chevron topped Wall Street’s third-quarter estimates and returned more than $7 billion to shareholders during the period through buybacks and dividends. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024

In its news release, the company noted that its stock buyback program of more than $3.36 billion (3 billion euros) was completed in October, returning a total of $8.4 billion (7.7 billion euros) to shareholders in 2024. —Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 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