merger

[ mur-jer ]

/ ˈmɜr dʒər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR merger ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

meretricious, merganser, merge, mergee, mergenthaler, merger, mergui, mergui archipelago, mericarp, merida, meriden

Origin of merger

First recorded in 1720–30; merge + -er¹

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for merger

The merger, if it comes off, would have major ramifications for the West.
ISIS and Al Qaeda Ready to Gang Up on Obama's Rebels|Jamie Dettmer|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the fast food giant announced a merger with a Canadian chain, politicians wasted no time applying the special sauce.
The Democrats Have Found a New Boogeyman, and It’s Burger King|Tim Mak|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such positive trends are not going to be threatened anytime soon, even if and when the Comcast-Time Warner merger happens.
The FCC Must Ignore the Silly ‘Net Neutrality’ Advocates|Nick Gillespie|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It will get state governors to write letters supporting the merger.
Is the Media Mega-Merger of TWC and Comcast a Match Made In Hell?|Lloyd Grove|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Manitou Council of Wisconsin did however question the merger—all the way to court.
Why Are Girl Scout Camps Being Closed?|Alessandra Rafferty|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are not thoroughly reconciled, even yet, to being a merger.
The Romance of the Reaper|Herbert Newton Casson
Merger is the fusion of two or more free states into a single unitary state.
"Colony,"--or "Free State"? "Dependence,"--or "Just Connection"?|Alpheus H. Snow
Work is going forward on the merger of European national forces on the Continent into a single army.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman|Harry S. Truman
But San Francisco did not know the inside of the merger deal as it is now known to every schoolboy in Nevada.
My Adventures with Your Money|George Graham Rice
Could they have parted with it, without consenting to a merger of their sovereignty?
Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States|Raphael Semmes

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

Culture 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.

Note

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.