When one company purchases another company, or when a person assumes control of something previously controlled by someone else.
Compound of 'take' (Old English 'tacan') and 'over' (Old English 'ofer'). The business meaning became prominent in the 1950s during corporate expansion.
Hostile takeovers are like corporate drama movies in real life: one company secretly buys enough shares to control another company without permission, completely changing leadership overnight.
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