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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.

As investors clamored to buy in, the ensuing volatility triggered a brief trading halt within seconds of the first trade.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Investors soon will have a chance to buy in.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Discovery, which David Ellison’s Paramount agreed to buy in an $81 billion deal earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Are the weapons he proposes to buy in larger quantities the sorts of weapons we need?

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

“What is there to buy in Biafra? They have blockaded us kpam-kpam.”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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