monopoly

[ muh-nop-uh-lee ]

/ məˈnɒp ə li /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR monopoly ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mo·nop·o·lies.

exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices. Compare duopoly, oligopoly.

an exclusive privilege to carry on a business, traffic, or service, granted by a government.

the exclusive possession or control of something.

something that is the subject of such control, as a commodity or service.

a company or group that has such control.

the market condition that exists when there is only one seller.

(initial capital letter) a board game in which a player attempts to gain a monopoly of real estate by advancing around the board and purchasing property, acquiring capital by collecting rent from other players whose pieces land on that property.

Origin of monopoly

1525–35; < Latin monopōlium < Greek monopṓlion right of exclusive sale, equivalent to mono- mono- + pōl(eîn) to sell + -ion noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM monopoly

mo·nop·o·loid, adjective an·ti·mo·nop·o·ly, adjective pre·mo·nop·o·ly, noun, plural pre·mo·nop·o·lies, adjective pro·mo·nop·o·ly, adjective

Words nearby monopoly

monopole, monopolism, monopolist, monopolistic competition, monopolize, monopoly, monopolylogue, monopropellant, monoprotic, monopsony, monopteral

Example sentences from the Web for monopoly

Mattson says the government bogarts this stuff, gathered at taxpayer expense, and maintains “a monopoly on the data.”

What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear |Doug Peacock |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Ma wrote online, “Let the users decide who wins the game, not monopoly and power.”

Alibaba’s Dark Side: Censoring Customers |Brendon Hong |November 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
These cases are part of the monopoly moment that we are in right now.

The Supreme Court Is Weighing Corporate Power Yet Again |Zephyr Teachout |October 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For nearly two thousand years, religious groups have held a monopoly on how to teach morals to young children.

Are You There, Nobody? It’s Me, Margaret |Candida Moss |October 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Ken Burns practically has a monopoly on televised public history and especially the history broadcast by PBS.

Ken Burns’s ‘Roosevelts’ Fine But Flawed |Harvey J. Kaye |September 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Fashion has made Jezebel surrender her monopoly of the rouge-pot.

The Works of Max Beerbohm |Max Beerbohm
Powerful as the International is, it is still far from the place where business is one long sweet dream of monopoly.

The Romance of the Reaper |Herbert Newton Casson
Still, you see, our isolated position gives us a monopoly, and we're small enough to take a personal interest in our older hands.

For the Allinson Honor |Harold Bindloss
The detailed conditions of this monopoly were never made public.

Due South or Cuba Past and Present |Maturin M. Ballou
There is the usual continental bother in obtaining post-horses, which results from their being a monopoly of government.

Gatherings From Spain |Richard Ford

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (1 of 2)

monopoly

/ (məˈnɒpəlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

exclusive control of the market supply of a product or service

an enterprise exercising this control
the product or service so controlled

law the exclusive right or privilege granted to a person, company, etc, by the state to purchase, manufacture, use, or sell some commodity or to carry on trade in a specified country or area

exclusive control, possession, or use of something

Derived forms of monopoly

monopolism, noun monopolist, noun monopolistic, adjective monopolistically, adverb

Word Origin for monopoly

C16: from Late Latin, from Greek monopōlion, from mono- + pōlein to sell

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (2 of 2)

Monopoly

/ (məˈnɒpəlɪ) /

noun

trademark a board game for two to six players who throw dice to advance their tokens around a board, the object being to acquire the property on which their tokens land

Cultural definitions for monopoly

monopoly

The exclusive control by one company of a service or product.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

monopoly

noun, plural mo·nop·o·lies.

Origin of monopoly

OTHER WORDS FROM monopoly

Words nearby monopoly

Example sentences from the Web for monopoly

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (1 of 2)

noun plural -lies

Derived forms of monopoly

Word Origin for monopoly

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (2 of 2)

noun

Cultural definitions for monopoly

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

monopoly

noun, plural mo·nop·o·lies.

Origin of monopoly

OTHER WORDS FROM monopoly

Words nearby monopoly

Words related to monopoly

Example sentences from the Web for monopoly

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (1 of 2)

noun plural -lies

Derived forms of monopoly

Word Origin for monopoly

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (2 of 2)

noun

Cultural definitions for monopoly

British Dictionary definitions for monopoly (1 of 2)