duopoly

noun

du·​op·​o·​ly du̇-ˈä-pə-lē How to pronounce duopoly (audio)
 also  dyu̇-
plural duopolies
1
: an oligopoly limited to two sellers
2
: preponderant influence or control by two political powers
duopolistic adjective

Examples of duopoly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And with the aircraft manufacturing industry effectively a duopoly between Boeing and Airbus, options are limited. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025 The longer and more entrenched duopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal offers a counterpoint. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 The duopoly of the great auction houses is a codependency on which the rest of the sixty-five-billion-dollar art market relies. Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 Of these, Boeing and Airbus operate in a duopoly with Embraer and COMAC representing minor production totals for different reasons. Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for duopoly

Word History

Etymology

duo- + -poly (as in monopoly)

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of duopoly was in 1920

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Cite this Entry

“Duopoly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duopoly. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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