What does repurchasing mean?
Repurchasing means buying something again after it has been sold, returned, transferred, or otherwise disposed of. The word is especially common in business and finance, where a company may announce that it is repurchasing its own outstanding shares, a process known as a share buyback. It can also describe consumers buying an item they previously sold or returned, or investors reacquiring an asset. In ordinary conversation, the more conversational expression “buying back” is often preferred. Repurchasing is therefore more precise than simply repeating the verb “buying,” because it explicitly conveys that the same person or organization previously owned or held the item. Its use suggests a completed earlier transaction followed by a second purchase, making it especially useful in discussions of markets, corporate finance, resale, and property.
verbRepurchasing is the act of buying something again, especially shares, bonds, goods, or property that were previously sold or returned.
- The act of buying an item or asset again, particularly after selling or returning it.
- The act of buying back outstanding shares or securities from their owners.
"The company announced that it would be repurchasing some of its outstanding shares."
"Several investors were eager to begin repurchasing the property after it came back on the market."
"The firm delayed repurchasing its shares while analysts assessed the company's prospects."
Companies often repurchase their own shares, a practice commonly described as buying the company back one piece at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of repurchasing
Repurchasing combines the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with purchasing, from the Anglo-Norman French word purchacer, “to seek out” or “acquire.” The modern sense of buying again developed naturally from the earlier meanings of acquiring or seeking out. Purchase ultimately connects with Latin persequi and its participle persecutus, meaning “to follow or pursue.” Related English forms include purchaser and pursuer.
Related word forms
How repurchasing is actually used
In business and financial contexts, repurchasing most often refers to a company buying back its own shares. The gerund can indicate either the general activity or an action that is already under way.