1. In business, the acquisition by one company of a sufficient number of shares in another company to have effective control of that company—usually 51%, although a controlling stake may be as little as 30%.
2. Takeovers may be agreed or contested; methods employed include the dawn raid, and methods of avoiding an unwelcome takeover include reverse takeover, poison pills, or inviting a white knight to make a takeover bid.
3. A change by sale or merger in the controlling interest of a corporation.
4. A takeover is an action to take control of a country, city, building, or other place by force.
5. When people who are elected, appointed, or hired take control of a country, state, city, business, school, building, and so on, and replace the people in control, a takeover occurs.