monopoly

noun

mo·nop·o·ly | \ mə-ˈnä-p(ə-)lē

plural monopolies

Definition of monopoly

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.

Examples of monopoly in a Sentence

The government passed laws intended to break up monopolies.

Recent Examples on the Web

But large, populous counties don’t have a monopoly on senior participation in the labor force. — Washington Post, "Seniors more likely to work longer in big metropolitan areas," 10 June 2019 But large, populous counties don't have a monopoly on senior participation in the labor force. — Andrew Soergel, chicagotribune.com, "Seniors more likely to work longer in big metropolitan areas, analysis of Census data shows," 10 June 2019 But large, populous counties don’t have a monopoly on working seniors. — Andrew Soergel, BostonGlobe.com, "Seniors are more likely to work past 65 in big metro areas like Boston, data show," 10 June 2019 Meanwhile, Apple awaits a Supreme Court decision in a case that determines if iPhone owners can sue Apple for antitrust damages for its alleged monopoly on the App Store. — Tripp Mickle, WSJ, "Apple’s Pressing Challenge: Build Its Services Business," 10 Jan. 2019 However, Russia stands to lose its monopoly on sending people to the ISS in the coming years with the arrival of SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner crew capsules. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "Spokane astronaut reaches space station aboard Russian craft," 3 Dec. 2018 Some customers sued in 2011, arguing that Apple is abusing its monopoly by overcharging customers. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "How Apple hopes to stop a customer lawsuit over its App Store monopoly," 27 Nov. 2018 Admirably, our tech giants seem to have won their monopolies by playing by existing rules better than anyone, and that’s not a crime. — Hemant Taneja, Fortune, "Commentary: It’s Time for Washington to Take on the Tech Monopolies," 2 Apr. 2018 More broadly, America does not have a monopoly on mental illness. — German Lopez, Vox, "I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.," 14 Feb. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near monopoly

monopolistic competition

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Last Updated

15 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for monopoly

The first known use of monopoly was in 1534

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More Definitions for monopoly

monopoly

noun

English Language Learners Definition of monopoly

: 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

See the full definition for monopoly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

monopoly

noun

mo·nop·o·ly | \ mə-ˈnä-pə-lē

plural monopolies

Kids Definition of monopoly

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.

monopoly

noun

mo·nop·o·ly | \ mə-ˈnä-pə-lē

plural monopolies

Legal Definition of monopoly

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