vested interest

noun

Definition of vested interest

1 : an interest (such as a title to an estate) carrying a legal right of present or future enjoyment specifically : a right vested in an employee under a pension plan

2 : a special concern or stake in maintaining or influencing a condition, arrangement, or action especially for selfish ends

3 : one having a vested interest in something specifically : a group enjoying benefits from an existing economic or political privilege

Examples of vested interest in a Sentence

She has a vested interest in seeing the business sold, as she'll make a profit from the sale.

Recent Examples on the Web

The studies invariably are commissioned by those with a vested interest. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "What's the economic impact of Blues Fest or Jazz Fest? Chicago will now get data from your Mastercard spending," 18 May 2018 People with a vested interest in the outcome often plant rumors. — Dennis Lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres mailbag: Where do things stand with Eric Hosmer?," 4 Jan. 2018 Among the many people with a vested interest in the legalization of sports betting in the U.S. is a 35-year-old man living in the Washington, D.C., area. — Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "Your Neighborhood Sports Bookie Isn’t Going Anywhere," 26 June 2018 The Air Force also outsourced test design to a defense contractor that works on and has a vested interest in the F-35 program. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Long Awaited A-10 vs.-F-35 Flyoff Is Off to a Sketchy Start," 11 July 2018 In a little over six months on the job, Del Conte has become a near-omnipresent presence wherever the program has any vested interests. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Del Conte, UT grinding their way back to the mountaintop," 28 June 2018 Drug companies and other organizations with vested interests are using slick advertising campaigns to downplay consumer concerns over giving antibiotics to animals, according to The Guardian and The Bureau of Investigation. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: A campaign downplays concerns over antibiotics given animals; U.K. parents step up fight over Vertex drug," 20 June 2018 Kansas City often sees a couple of local names tossed in the hat, but this year, Picollo had a vested interest. — Shaun Goodwin, kansascity, "Royals VP’s son among Kansas City ties on final day of MLB draft," 6 June 2018 As the head of Fox, Murdoch obviously has a vested interest in what Apple is doing. — Don Reisinger, Fortune, "Fox's Murdoch Says Apple Will Find Original Content Move 'Very Challenging'," 30 May 2018

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

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Last Updated

2 Sep 2018

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The first known use of vested interest was in 1818

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More Definitions for vested interest

vested interest

noun

Financial Definition of vested interest

What It Is

A vested interest is a right of ownership which is not dependent on something else.

How It Works

When a possession, ownership interest or the use of tangible property is present and unencumbered by any conditions, it is known as a vested interest. The clear and unencumbered interest is not reliant or contingent on anything other conditions or events. For example, a vested interest can mean stock or options that are transferred and available to the recipient. A vested interest in real estate means the owner of the property. A vested interest in a pension plan, for example, may mean that the employee is qualified to take the benefits of the pension plan, including the contributions by the employer.

Why It Matters

A vested interest in tangible property represents an important asset on a company's or personal balance sheet. Understanding the conditions of a potential borrower's vestment (i.e. establishing a vested interest) in a particular asset is an important part of the due diligence process for a creditor.

Source: Investing Answers

vested interest

noun