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merger

[ mur-jer ]
/ ˈmɜr dʒər /
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noun
a statutory combination of two or more corporations by the transfer of the properties to one surviving corporation.
any combination of two or more business enterprises into a single enterprise.
an act or instance of merging: Astronomers say that the merger of galaxies can take a billion years.
Phonetics. the process or phenomenon whereby two distinct speech sounds come to be pronounced identically: for instance, the cot–caught vowel merger has taken place in some dialects of English.
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Origin of merger

First recorded in 1720–30; merge + -er1

OTHER WORDS FROM merger

an·ti·merg··er, adjectivede·merg·er, nounpre·merg·er, adjectivepro·merg·er, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use merger in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for merger

merger
/ (ˈmɜːdʒə) /

noun
commerce the combination of two or more companies, either by the creation of a new organization or by absorption by one of the othersOften called (Brit): amalgamation
law the extinguishment of an estate, interest, contract, right, offence, etc, by its absorption into a greater one
the act of merging or the state of being merged
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

Cultural definitions for merger

merger

The union of two or more independent corporations under a single ownership. Also known as takeovers, mergers may be friendly or hostile. In the latter case, the buying company, having met with resistance from directors of the targeted company, usually offers an inflated (overmarket) price to persuade stockholders of the targeted company to sell their shares to it. Such mergers often have been financed by junk bonds.

notes for merger

Especially common in the 1980s, hostile takeovers have become highly controversial. Some contend that they bring needed infusions of capital and efficiency to the targeted company. Others argue that, having borrowed heavily to finance the merger, the buyer is forced to sell valuable assets of the targeted company to pay off its debt.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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