monopoly

noun

mo·nop·o·ly mə-ˈnä-p(ə-)lē How to pronounce monopoly (audio)

plural monopolies

: exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action

: exclusive possession or control

no country has a monopoly on morality or truth

Helen M. Lynd

: a commodity controlled by one party

had a monopoly on flint from their quarries

Barbara A. Leitch

: one that has a monopoly

The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies.

Did you know?

You're probably familiar with the word monopoly, but you may not recognize its conceptual and linguistic relative, the much rarer oligopsony. Both monopoly and oligopsony are ultimately from Greek, although monopoly passed through Latin before being adopted into English. Monopoly comes from the Greek prefix mono-, which means "one," and pōlein, "to sell." Oligopsony derives from the combining form olig-, meaning "few," and the Greek noun opsōnia—"the purchase of victuals"—which is ultimately from the combination of opson, "food," and ōneisthai, "to buy." It makes sense, then, that oligopsony refers to a buyer's market in which the seller is subjected to the potential demands of a limited pool of buyers. Another related word is monopsony, used for a more extreme oligopsony in which there is only a single buyer.

Example Sentences

The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies.

Recent Examples on the Web That arrangement, industry experts and agriculture economists say, creates a monopoly-like environment, which can work to keep prices higher.

Abha Bhattarai, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2022 Rival consultants argue that since Scott became NRSC chair, OnMessage has had a near monopoly over NRSC contracts.

Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2022 After the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. government will make its largest-ever investment in slowing climate change and use its market heft, through Medicare, to challenge the monopoly-pricing power of the big drug companies.

John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022 That arrangement, industry experts and agriculture economists say, creates a monopoly-like environment, which can work to keep prices higher.

Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022 Right-to-repair advocates claim John Deere is a big tech monopoly using digital locks to make farmers go through an authorized dealer or agent in order to fix their equipment.

Clarisa Diaz, Quartz, 25 Aug. 2022 To some competitors, the patent seemed to give the company a monopoly on a compound that humans have used for thousands of years.

Wired, 28 July 2022 Andrei Sakharov, a dissident who was elected to the Supreme Soviet after Gorbachev released him from internal exile, argued against the monopoly of the Communist Party.

Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2022 These Empowerment Scholarship Accounts will truly bust the government education monopoly.

Steve Forbes, Forbes, 1 July 2022 See More

单词	monopoly
释义	monopoly noun mo·nop·o·ly mə-ˈnä-p(ə-)lē plural monopolies 1 : exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action 2 : exclusive possession or control no country has a monopoly on morality or truth Helen M. Lynd 3 : a commodity controlled by one party had a monopoly on flint from their quarries Barbara A. Leitch 4 : one that has a monopoly The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies. Did you know? You're probably familiar with the word monopoly, but you may not recognize its conceptual and linguistic relative, the much rarer oligopsony. Both monopoly and oligopsony are ultimately from Greek, although monopoly passed through Latin before being adopted into English. Monopoly comes from the Greek prefix mono-, which means "one," and pōlein, "to sell." Oligopsony derives from the combining form olig-, meaning "few," and the Greek noun opsōnia—"the purchase of victuals"—which is ultimately from the combination of opson, "food," and ōneisthai, "to buy." It makes sense, then, that oligopsony refers to a buyer's market in which the seller is subjected to the potential demands of a limited pool of buyers. Another related word is monopsony, used for a more extreme oligopsony in which there is only a single buyer. Example Sentences The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies. Recent Examples on the Web That arrangement, industry experts and agriculture economists say, creates a monopoly-like environment, which can work to keep prices higher. Abha Bhattarai, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2022 Rival consultants argue that since Scott became NRSC chair, OnMessage has had a near monopoly over NRSC contracts. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2022 After the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. government will make its largest-ever investment in slowing climate change and use its market heft, through Medicare, to challenge the monopoly-pricing power of the big drug companies. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022 That arrangement, industry experts and agriculture economists say, creates a monopoly-like environment, which can work to keep prices higher. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022 Right-to-repair advocates claim John Deere is a big tech monopoly using digital locks to make farmers go through an authorized dealer or agent in order to fix their equipment. Clarisa Diaz, Quartz, 25 Aug. 2022 To some competitors, the patent seemed to give the company a monopoly on a compound that humans have used for thousands of years. Wired, 28 July 2022 Andrei Sakharov, a dissident who was elected to the Supreme Soviet after Gorbachev released him from internal exile, argued against the monopoly of the Communist Party. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2022 These Empowerment Scholarship Accounts will truly bust the government education monopoly. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 1 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Latin monopolium, from Greek monopōlion, from mon- + pōlein to sell First Known Use 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing monopoly anti-monopoly anti-monopoly Kids Definition monopoly noun mo·nop·o·ly mə-ˈnä-pə-lē plural monopolies 1 : complete ownership or control of the entire supply of goods or a service in a certain market 2 : a person or group having complete control over something 3 : complete ownership or control of something He thinks he has a monopoly on the truth. Legal Definition monopoly noun mo·nop·o·ly mə-ˈnä-pə-lē plural monopolies 1 : exclusive control of a particular market that is marked by the power to control prices and exclude competition and that especially is developed willfully rather than as the result of superior products or skill see also antitrust, Sherman Antitrust Act 2 : one that has a monopoly
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monopoly

noun

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing monopoly

Kids Definition

noun

Legal Definition

noun