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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
FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The Hollywood Reporter has picked five unmissable features from this year’s typically eclectic lineup, ranging from a Belgian punk-music satire to a Mexican cartel thriller to a horror movie told entirely from the perspective of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
This ruthless cartel is intent on cashing in, permeating our communities with their poison, with no regard to human suffering.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested more than 600 people allegedly linked to the violent Sinaloa drug cartel in a five-day operation at the end of August, authorities announced Monday.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cartel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartel. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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cartel
noun
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