1. n. (economics) The purchase of one company by another; a merger without the formation of a new company, especially where some stakeholders in the purchased company oppose the purchase.
2. n. (economics, UK) The acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.
3. n. A time or event in which control or authority, especially over a facility is passed from one party to the next.