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

The bank also announced a new share buyback program that authorizes the repurchase of 30 million shares June 2024 to June 2025, though repurchases up to this point have been minimal. —David Trainer, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

In order to provide the liquidity needed for the fund, Apollo not only provides the assets but will also repurchase them if needed. —Michelle Fox, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025

During the fourth quarter, the company repurchased approximately 36,000 shares of Class A common stock at an average price of $391.04 a share for $14 million. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025

But when her father repurchased the ski area, Ms. DesLauriers reluctantly agreed to take charge. —David Goodman, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025

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)