Acquisition

How it is used

Lawyers distinguish a share acquisition (buying the company itself, with all its history and liabilities) from an asset acquisition (buying selected assets). The verb is 'acquire'; the buyer is the 'acquirer' and the company being bought is the 'target'.

Example sentences

1. The acquisition of the software firm closed in March.

2. We are advising a Turkish group on its acquisition of a German supplier.

Common collocations

• make an acquisition
• share acquisition
• asset acquisition
• acquisition target
• complete an acquisition

Related terms

• mergerThe combination of two or more companies into one, either by one company absorbing the others or by forming a completely new company.
• due diligenceA detailed investigation of a company's legal, financial and commercial position, carried out before buying it, investing in it or signing a major contract with it.
• share purchase agreementThe main contract in a company acquisition, under which the seller transfers shares in the target company to the buyer for an agreed price.
• target companyThe company that a buyer plans to acquire or invest in during a merger, acquisition or takeover.
• takeoverThe act of gaining control of a company, usually a listed one, by buying a majority of its shares, sometimes against the wishes of its management.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• acquisition · Entrepreneurship & Startups

More terms: Mergers & Acquisitions

• closing
• condition precedent
• earn-out