A slang term denoting the purchase of a company through an acquisition, merger or other form of buyout. A takeout can refer to a hostile takeover, a friendly merger, or a leveraged or management buyout.

A company is said to be "in play" if it is likely to be acquired in the future, or currently has bids from purchasers. A takeout refers to the company being taken out of play, which occurs when the acquisition has been finalized.