Buyouts are the process of acquiring a company or business by purchasing all or a majority of its shares. There are several synonyms related to buyouts, including takeovers, acquisitions, mergers, and purchases. Takeovers refer to the acquisition of business control by purchasing the shares of the companies. Acquisitions imply taking over direct ownership. Mergers describe the combination of two or more companies into a single entity. Purchases represent buying an asset or service from another entity. All of these words convey different connotations of the process of obtaining ownership of a company or business and are regularly used interchangeably with each other.