1
law
: the absorption of an estate, a contract, or an interest in another, of a minor offense in a greater, or of a cause of action into a judgment
2
a
: the act or process of merging
b
: absorption by a corporation of one or more others
also
: any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (such as business concerns)
Examples of merger in a Sentence
The law firm announced its $50 million merger with one of its competitors.
If the proposed merger of the two oil companies goes through, it would be bad for the economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has agitated for a settlement to help move along the company’s pending merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
—
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
Paramount management last month said the merger is still on track to close before the end of June.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
The filing includes information on the company's strategic initiatives, such as its pending merger with CWT Holdings, LLC, valued at approximately $570 million.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2025
The uncertainty caused by tariffs could put downward pressure on all manner of corporate activities, from investment to mergers and acquisitions to debt issuance.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merger
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Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
Paramount management last month said the merger is still on track to close before the end of June.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
The filing includes information on the company's strategic initiatives, such as its pending merger with CWT Holdings, LLC, valued at approximately $570 million.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2025
The uncertainty caused by tariffs could put downward pressure on all manner of corporate activities, from investment to mergers and acquisitions to debt issuance.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merger
Articles Related to merger
Cite this Entry
“Merger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merger. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
merger
noun
merg·er
ˈmər-jər 
: the combination of two or more businesses into one
Legal Definition
merger
noun
merg·er
ˈmər-jər
1
: the absorption of a lesser estate or interest into a greater one held by the same person compare confusion
2
: the incorporation and superseding of one contract by another
3
a
: the treatment (as by statute) of two offenses deriving from the same conduct such that a defendant cannot be or is not punished for both especially when one offense is incidental to or necessarily included in the other
a merger of offenses in a statute
a merger of convictions
b
: the doctrine according to which such offenses must be merged compare double jeopardy
Note: Merger commonly involves the interpretation of statutes and legislative intent in deciding whether two or more offenses deriving from the same conduct remain distinct.
4
: a doctrine in civil litigation: a judgment in favor of a plaintiff incorporates and supersedes the cause of action and any claims based on it and requires that further litigation in the case by the defendant be concerned with the judgment itself compare bar sense 3b, estoppel by judgment at estoppel sense 2a, res judicata
5
: the superseding of a prior agreement in a divorce case by the divorce decree
6
a
: the act or process of merging
b
: absorption by one corporation of another
also
: any of various methods of combining two or more organizations (as business concerns) compare consolidate
—
cash merger
: a merger in which shareholders in the company to be absorbed receive cash for their shares rather than shares in the absorbing company
a tender offer to be followed by a cash merger
see also cash out
—
de facto merger
: a merger that is characterized by the issuance of stock to the corporation to be absorbed rather than an outright purchase of assets for cash, by continued participation of the shareholders, directors, and employees of the absorbed corporation, and by an assumption of liabilities by the absorbing corporation
Note: Shareholders in a de facto merger are considered to have the same right to an appraisal of the fair value of their shares as shareholders in a statutory merger.
—
short-form merger
: an accelerated statutory merger between a subsidiary and a parent corporation that controls a large specified majority of shares in the subsidiary
—
statutory merger
: a merger performed in accordance with relevant statutes that require specific procedures for the notification and approval of shareholders
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