private equity

noun private equities

1. countable, uncountable Capital stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public. That company is closely held; its equity is all private equity.
2. countable, uncountable An investment fund that specializes in buying companies in order to restructure and then sell them with a profit; the industry comprising such firms. Although private equity is not inherently villainous, the horror stories from past takeovers give the industry a bad name, especially in cases where it assumes the mantle of landlord or hospital owner.