A hostile takeover refers to the process of acquiring a company without the approval of the target company's board of directors. There are several synonymous words and phrases used in business literature to describe this phenomenon. One common term is "unfriendly takeover," which denotes an acquisition attempt made by a more powerful rival without the cooperation of the target company's management. Another term that is often used is "unsolicited takeover," which highlights the fact that the target company did not invite the potential acquirer to make a bid. "Rogue acquisition" and "involuntary merger" are other synonyms that convey the idea of a forced takeover.