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  • buy-in
    buy-in
    noun
    an act or instance of buying in.
  • buy in
    buy in
    verb
    (tr) to buy back for the owner (an item in an auction) at or below the reserve price

buy-in

American  
[bahy-in] / ˈbaɪˌɪn /

noun

  1. an act or instance of buying in.

  2. the deliberate submission of a false bid, too low to be met, in order to win a contract.

  3. Poker. the chips purchased by a player from the banker, occasionally a set amount required to enter a specific competition or game.


buy in British  

verb

  1. (tr) to buy back for the owner (an item in an auction) at or below the reserve price

  2. (intr) to purchase shares in a company

  3. (intr) to buy goods or securities on the open market against a defaulting seller, charging this seller with any market differences

  4. Also: buy intoinformal (tr) to pay money to secure a position or place for (someone, esp oneself) in some organization, esp a business or club

  5. to purchase (goods, etc) in large quantities

    to buy in for the winter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the purchase of a company by a manager or group who does not work for that company

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of buy-in

Noun use of verb phrase buy in

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On its December balance sheet, however, StepStone had $266 million of cash, and it has previously warned investors that it may need to seek equity or debt financing to fund the buy-in.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Without buy-in from the press, Objection AI becomes performative.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

“Netflix treats employees like adults who can handle difficult information and I love that. This creates enormous feelings of commitment and buy-in from employees,” Hastings wrote in the book.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Socialize: To share an idea or proposal with key decisionmakers in order to solicit feedback and gain approval or buy-in to make a decision.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

I wanted to make sure we had buy-in from everyone we’d need to make the initiative a success, to anticipate any objections that might be raised.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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