trustbuster

noun

trust·​bust·​er ˈtrəs(t)-ˌbə-stər How to pronounce trustbuster (audio)
: one who seeks to break up business trusts
specifically : a federal official who prosecutes trusts under the antitrust laws
trust-busting noun

Examples of trustbuster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, antitrust advocates are watching the break-up of the bipartisan trustbuster duo who sat atop the antitrust subcommittee. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 13 Mar. 2023 Congress’s chief trustbuster, Senator Amy Klobuchar, is once again scrutinizing the merger, while her colleagues, like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called the companies a monopoly. Vulture, 21 Nov. 2022 The original trustbuster himself, Teddy Roosevelt, admonished that size in and of itself is not bad. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 9 June 2022 During the next five years, Arnold became the country’s greatest trustbuster, issuing nearly as many indictments as had been brought since the Sherman Act was passed. Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2021 On the menu today: the Fed’s surprising hawkishness, the FTC’s new trustbuster, the anti-Amazon industry, and an evaluation of Congress’s recent antitrust proposals. Daniel Tenreiro, National Review, 17 June 2021 Europe has led the charge with antitrust investigations, and Margrethe Vestager, the region’s top trustbuster, recently vowed to take a harder line on the companies. David McCabe, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority, the U.K.’s trustbuster, is getting tougher too. Chris Hughes | Bloomberg, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019 In their brief filed with the federal appeals court, the Justice Department lawyers sounded more like corporate defense attorneys than crusading trustbusters. Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trustbuster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trustbuster was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near trustbuster

Cite this Entry

“Trustbuster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trustbuster. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Legal Definition

trustbuster

noun
trust·​bust·​er ˈtrəst-ˌbəs-tər How to pronounce trustbuster (audio)
: one and especially a federal officer who seeks to break up trusts by prosecution under the antitrust laws
trust-busting noun
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