buy-in
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of buying in.
-
the deliberate submission of a false bid, too low to be met, in order to win a contract.
-
Poker. the chips purchased by a player from the banker, occasionally a set amount required to enter a specific competition or game.
verb
-
(tr) to buy back for the owner (an item in an auction) at or below the reserve price
-
(intr) to purchase shares in a company
-
(intr) to buy goods or securities on the open market against a defaulting seller, charging this seller with any market differences
-
Also: buy into. informal (tr) to pay money to secure a position or place for (someone, esp oneself) in some organization, esp a business or club
-
to purchase (goods, etc) in large quantities
to buy in for the winter
noun
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.
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
He adds that he is talking to other parties about his work in the hope of getting cross-party buy-in for his proposals.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
To address their concerns, Mr. Albright and Ms. Stricker suggest “the international community, led by the U.S. and Europe, with Russian and Chinese buy-in, must develop contingency plans to prevent” hazards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 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
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.