repo

¹ American  

[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

Computers Informal.

plural

repos

1. repository.

---

repo ² American  

[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

plural

repos

1. a repurchase agreement.

---

repo ³ American  

[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

plural

repos

1. a repossessed property, especially a financed dwelling repossessed by the bank or other financing institution for delinquency of payment and offered for resale.

   We bought this trailer as a repo and have lived in it for 12 years, but now with kids we’re running out of room.

---

adjective

1. engaged in or relating to the business of repossessing or taking back high-priced merchandise, such as motor vehicles or machinery, from buyers who have failed to pay.

   I’m told that a repo company can just go to an address, find the car parked, and grab it.

verb (used with object)

1. to repossess or take back (merchandise) from buyers who have failed to pay.

   When their dry cleaning business really began to struggle, the bank repoed all their equipment.

repo British  

/ ˈriːpəʊ /

noun

1. repurchase agreement

2. 1. repossession of property

   2. ( as modifier )

      a repo car

---

Etymology

Origin of repo¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Origin of repo¹

First recorded in 1960–65; rep(urchase) + -o

Origin of repo¹

By shortening of repossess; -o

Example Sentences

Bank Indonesia held its benchmark seven-day reverse repo rate at 4.75% after its policy meeting on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Generally speaking, the central bank’s goal is to keep bank reserves sufficient to control short-term interest rates and thereby reduce financial institutions’ reliance on the overnight repo market.

From MarketWatch

The overnight GC repo rate is a super-short-term interest rate that big financial institutions pay to borrow cash from other players, such as money-market funds.

From MarketWatch

But that was before the slight bump-up in the overnight GC repo rate on Monday.

From MarketWatch

It shows that hedge fund leverage is rising sharply as “prime brokerage and repo borrowings have essentially doubled over the past two years,” Slok says.

From MarketWatch