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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.
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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.
Examples of cartel in a Sentence
Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The arrangement, Ford alleged, violated the RICO Act, which has played a central role in cases against high-profile organizations including Italian crime families, Mexican drug cartels and the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Two Jamaican nationals will be in prison for at least three years for helping run an international money laundering organization that washed over $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels, in part through Massachusetts banks.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025
Both Maduro and his second in command, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, are under U.S. indictments for allegedly leading the Los Soles drug cartel.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartel
Cite this Entry
“Cartel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartel. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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cartel
noun
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