monopoly

noun mo·nop·o·ly \ mə-ˈnä-p(ə-)lē \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: monopoly in a Sentence

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.

See monopoly defined for English-language learners

See monopoly defined for kids

Examples of monopoly in a Sentence

The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies.

Recent Examples of monopoly from the Web

By delaying development of generics, drugmakers can maintain their monopolies and keep prices high.

— sydney lupkin — kaiser health news, STAT, "Drug makers blamed for blocking generics have jacked up prices and cost U.S. billions," 23 May 2018
But that catholic business model had become much harder to pull off in the face of Amazon’s near-monopoly on e-books and its ever-growing chunk of the physical book market.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Peter Mayer, the Fiery Sage of Publishing," 23 May 2018
Pemex is nearly ready to start drilling in the first major offshore discovery made since Mexico ended its 75-year oil monopoly.

— jordan blum, Houston Chronicle, "Pemex nears milestone with drilling of new offshore discovery," 3 May 2018
Millions of people pledging unconditional devotion to any business threatens to imbue it with monopoly power.

— derek thompson, The Atlantic, "In Praise of Fair-Weather Fandom," 16 Apr. 2018
Separately, the plan also calls for creating a national market regulator, incorporating anti-monopoly, pricing, and other powers from food and drug industry and product quality agencies.

— christopher bodeen, The Christian Science Monitor, "China's new anti-graft body gives Xi power to rule indefinitely," 13 Mar. 2018
But by no means was this a monopoly, for impostors have been claiming descent from deposed monarchs and dead dynasties for as long as such things have existed, and in every corner of the world.

— sadie stein, Town & Country, "Why Are Rich People So Easily Fooled?," 26 Feb. 2017
But little progress is being made on other priorities, including repairing infrastructure, ensuring small firms are not squashed by monopolies and reforming the education system.

— The Economist, "Why corporate America loves Donald Trump," 24 May 2018
What results are corporate monopolies rather than competitive markets, where the government becomes a bigger arbiter of who wins and who loses.

— dambisa moyo, Time, "The False Promises of Protectionism," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monopoly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of monopoly

Latin monopolium, from Greek monopōlion, from mon- + pōlein to sell

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1534

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

MONOPOLY Defined for English Language Learners

monopoly

noun

: complete control of the entire supply of goods or of a service in a certain area or market
: a large company that has a monopoly
: complete ownership or control of something

MONOPOLY Defined for Kids

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

The laws are intended to prevent monopolies.

3 : complete ownership or control of something

He thinks he has a monopoly on the truth.

Law Dictionary

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