earnoutnoun [ C ]
also earn-out uk/ˈɜːnaʊt/usFINANCEan amount of money paid to the seller of a company in addition to the price that was agreed, often because the company has performed well:
The founder and his family will get a possible earnout of up to £3m.
The company will need to conserve cash this year for the last of its earn-out payments on 1980s acquisitions.