cartel

noun

car·​tel kär-ˈtel 

1

: a written agreement between belligerent nations

2

: a combination of independent commercial or industrial enterprises designed to limit competition or fix prices

illegal drug cartels

3

: a combination of political groups for common action

Did you know?

The literal meaning of Italian cartello, a derivative of carta, “leaf of paper,” is “placard.” The word is also used for a letter of defiance or a challenge. In this sense the Italian word was borrowed into Middle French as cartel, and the French word was borrowed into English. In English, a cartel was originally a letter of defiance. Later the word came to be used for a written agreement between warring nations to regulate such matters as the treatment and exchange of prisoners. Another type of agreement, a combination of commercial enterprises, is now called a cartel.

Did you know?

A cartel is an organization of a few independent producers for the purpose of improving the profitability of the firms involved. This usually involves some restriction of output, control of price, and allocation of market shares. Members of a cartel generally maintain their separate identities and financial independence while engaging in cooperative policies. Cartels can either be domestic or international. Because cartels restrict competition and result in higher prices for consumers, they are outlawed in some countries. The only industry operating in the U.S. with a blanket exemption from the antitrust laws is major-league baseball.

Synonyms

• combination
• combine
• syndicate
• trust

Examples of cartel in a Sentence

a cartel of oil-producing nations that controls production and influences prices

Recent Examples on the Web

In a mobile command vehicle parked near the Rio Grande river in Eagle Pass, Banks spoke to USA TODAY about his views on cartel threats, concertina wire and comprehensive immigration reform. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024

At a Tuesday hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that showed Rodriguez Arreola also coordinated multiple deliveries of meth from Mexico to the U.S. on behalf of the cartel. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024

Cocaine-smuggling gangs have expanded into every corner of Latin America over the last decade, turning once-tranquil nations like Ecuador into cartel badlands, security officials and diplomats say. —Reuters, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024

When Cliff loses his job, his old colleague Ricky pulls him back into the criminal underbelly, selling drugs and guns for a cartel. —Mike Miller, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2024

In municipalities carved out of cartel hot spots, where the gangs run drug trafficking routes and infiltrate the production of cash crops, the seats have grown into the primary entry point for corrupt influence, experts say. —David Shortell, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Using the country’s prisons as command centers, Ecuadorian gangs have formed alliances with Mexican cartels and the Albanian mafia and infiltrated nearly every level of government in Ecuador. —Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024

In Ecuador, the police say that Mexico’s most powerful cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, are financing a ballooning narco-trafficking industry that has fueled violence and death. —Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024

The smartest sleuth in Bilbao still stumbles on something far more sinister, a Nigerian drug cartel. —John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, letter of defiance, from Old Italian cartello, literally, placard, from carta leaf of paper — more at card entry 1

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cartel

noun

car·​tel kär-ˈtel 

: a combination of business firms to control world markets and fix prices