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buy back

B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To buy something again that you sold or gave to someone else before.

Literal meaning: To buy something back (returning it to the original owner).

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

To purchase something that you previously sold or that was taken from you.

"She regretted selling her grandmother's ring and spent years trying to buy it back."

Grammar: separable
2 C1 formal

(Finance/Business) For a company to repurchase its own shares from the open market or from shareholders.

"The tech firm announced a $5 billion programme to buy back shares over the next two years."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Widely used in financial and business contexts, particularly 'share buyback' or 'stock buyback', where a company repurchases its own shares from shareholders. Also used in everyday contexts for buying back personal items. Can be used as a noun: 'a buyback scheme'.

Commonly used with

shares stock rights property debt item

Forms

Base
buy back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
buys back
he/she/it
Past simple
bought back
yesterday
Past participle
bought back
have + pp
-ing form
buying back
continuous

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Synonyms

repurchase redeem reclaim reacquire get back

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