M&A

American  

abbreviation

Finance, Business.

1. mergers and acquisitions: the practice of incorporating parts (or all) of another enterprise, either by combining two or more companies into one or by purchasing some or all of another company's assets, as a way of strategically enhancing or growing a business.

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Etymology

Origin of M&A

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

“Uncertainty due to oil, growth and rates isn’t going away. But major deals are still getting done,” said Ben Goodchild, a partner in the M&A group at law firm Paul Weiss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Max Gumport, a senior analyst at BNP Paribas, echoes that: “Large-scale M&A has rarely worked in the broader consumer packaged goods space,” he wrote in a Tuesday note to investors.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Additional stress is generated by the recent uptick in M&A activity, which has led to higher new bond issuance, just as rising public deficits suggest increased sovereign-bond supply.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

“While McCormick’s M&A track record is a positive precedent, the scale of this potential transaction represents a substantially greater order of magnitude,” Powers wrote on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley emailed details about an M&A deal that his bank was secretly working on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026