1 B2 neutral
To purchase a large quantity of goods or supplies to have available.
"The restaurant bought in extra supplies before the long holiday weekend."
separable
buy in
B2 neutral separable transitive
To purchase a stock of something in bulk; also to obtain acceptance or support from others; (finance) a specific market operation.
In plain English
To buy a large amount of something to have in stock, or to get people to agree with and support your idea.
What does "buy in" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
(Business) To gain the agreement, support, or acceptance of key people for a plan or idea.
"You need to buy in the senior team before you present the new strategy to the board."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To buy (something) in (inward, for storage or use).
Actually means
To buy a large amount of something to have in stock, or to get people to agree with and support your idea.
Usage tip
'Get buy-in' (noun) is very common in business English meaning to gain stakeholders' agreement and support. The commercial sense (buying stock in bulk) is common in retail and supply contexts. These senses are quite different; context makes the meaning clear.
Words that pair with "buy in"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
stock supplies support agreement stakeholders shares
How to conjugate "buy in"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
buy in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
buys in
he/she/it
Past simple
bought in
yesterday
Past participle
bought in
have + pp
-ing form
buying in
continuous
Hear "buy in" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "buy in" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "buy in"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
gain support get on board invest in purchase in bulk secure agreement stock up on
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