monopoly

Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to monopoly: monopoly money

mo·nop·o·ly

(mə-nŏp′ə-lē)

n. pl. mo·nop·o·lies

1. Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service: "Monopoly frequently ... arises from government support or from collusive agreements among individuals" (Milton Friedman).

a. A company, group, or individual having exclusive control over a commercial activity.

b. A commodity or service so controlled.

a. Exclusive possession or control: arrogantly claims to have a monopoly on the truth.

b. Something that is exclusively possessed or controlled: showed that scientific achievement is not a male monopoly.

[Latin monopōlium, from Greek monopōlion : mono-, mono- + pōlein, to sell; see pel- in Indo-European roots.]

mo·nop′o·lism n.

mo·nop′o·list n.

mo·nop′o·lis′tic adj.

mo·nop′o·lis′ti·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

monopoly

(məˈnɒpəlɪ)

n, pl -lies

1. (Economics) exclusive control of the market supply of a product or service

2. (Economics)

a. an enterprise exercising this control

b. the product or service so controlled

3. (Law) law the exclusive right or privilege granted to a person, company, etc, by the state to purchase, manufacture, use, or sell some commodity or to carry on trade in a specified country or area

4. exclusive control, possession, or use of something

[C16: from Late Latin, from Greek monopōlion, from mono- + pōlein to sell]

moˈnopolism n

moˈnopolist n

moˌnopoˈlistic adj

moˌnopoˈlistically adv

Monopoly

(məˈnɒpəlɪ)

(Games, other than specified) trademark a board game for two to six players who throw dice to advance their tokens around a board, the object being to acquire the property on which their tokens land

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mo•nop•o•ly

(məˈnɒp ə li)

n., pl. -lies.

1. exclusive control of a commodity or service that makes possible the manipulation of prices.

2. the exclusive possession or control of something.

3. something that is the subject of such control, as a commodity or service.

4. a company or group that has such control.

5. the market condition that exists when there is only one seller.

[1525–35; < Latin monopōlium < Greek monopṓlion=mono- mono- + -pōlion, derivative of pōleîn to sell]

monopoly

an exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices. — monopolist, n. — monopolistic, adj.

monopoly

Exclusive control of the market supply of a product or service.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	monopoly - (economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller; "a monopoly on silver"; "when you have a monopoly you can ask any price you like" market, marketplace, market place - the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold; "without competition there would be no market"; "they were driven from the marketplace" economic science, economics, political economy - the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management corner - a temporary monopoly on a kind of commercial trade; "a corner on the silver market"
	2.	monopoly - exclusive control or possession of something; "They have no monopoly on intelligence" ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, dominance, control - the state that exists when one person or group has power over another; "her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her"
	3.	Monopoly - a board game in which players try to gain a monopoly on real estate as pieces advance around the board according to the throw of a die board game - a game played on a specially designed board trademark - a formally registered symbol identifying the manufacturer or distributor of a product

monopoly

noun

Exclusive control or possession:

corner.

Translations

إحْتِكاراحْتِكَارٌ

monopol

monopol=-monopol

Monopol

μονοπώλιο

monopolio

monopoli

monopole accaparement

monopol

monopólium

einokun; einkaleyfi

monopolio monopolizzare monopolizzazione esclusiva

独占

독점

monopolismonopolizuotivisiškai užvaldyti

monopols

monopol

ระบบผูกขาด

tekel

sự độc quyền

垄断垄断地位

monopoly

[məˈnɒpəlɪ]

A. N (lit, fig) → monopolio m

B. CPD Monopolies and Mergers Commission N (Brit) organismo regulador de monopolios y fusiones encargado de velar por la libre competencia

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

monopoly

[məˈnɒpəli] n

(= control) → monopole m
a state-owned monopoly → un monopole d'État
to constitute a monopoly → constituer un monopole
to abolish a monopoly → abolir un monopole
monopoly over sth → monopole sur qch
to have a monopoly over sth → avoir le monopole de qch
monopoly on sth → monopole sur qch

(fig) → monopole m
to have a monopoly on sth → avoir le monopole de qch
Doctors don't have a monopoly on morality → Les médecins n'ont pas le monopole de la morale. Monopolies and Mergers Commission

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Monopoly®

n (= game) → Monopoly® nt; Monopoly money (inf: = large amount) → Wahnsinnssummen pl (inf); (pej: = foreign currency) → ausländisches Geld, Spielgeld nt (pej)

monopoly

(lit) → Monopol nt; monopoly position → Monopolstellung f; coal is a government monopoly → der Staat hat das Kohlenmonopol or das Monopol für Kohle; Monopolies and Mergers Commission (Brit) britisches Kartellamt

(fig) to have the or a monopoly on or of something → etw für sich gepachtet haben (inf); you haven’t got a monopoly on me → ich bin doch nicht dein Eigentum

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Monopoly

® [məˈnɒpəlɪ] n (game) → monopoli ® m

monopoly

[məˈnɒpəlɪ] n → monopolio

monopoly

(məˈnopəli) – plural moˈnopolies – noun

the sole right of making or selling something etc. This firm has a local monopoly of soap-manufacturing.

moˈnopolize, moˈnopolise verb

1. to have a monopoly of or over. They've monopolized the fruit-canning industry.

2. to take up the whole of (eg someone's attention). She tries to monopolize the teacher's attention.

monopoly

→ احْتِكَارٌ monopol monopol Monopol μονοπώλιο monopolio monopoli monopole monopol monopolio 独占 독점 monopolie monopol monopol monopólio монополия monopol ระบบผูกขาด tekel sự độc quyền 垄断地位

References in classic literature ?

It indeed is, as we have said, generally gainful for a person to contrive to make a monopoly of anything; for which reason some cities also take this method when they want money, and monopolise their commodities.

View in context

He found that he had a natural aptitude for the more muscular domestic duties, and his energy in this direction enchanted Nutty, who before his advent had had a monopoly of these tasks.

View in context

And a loud hue-and-cry was raised in the newspapers against "high rates and monopoly" to distract the minds of the people from the real issue of legitimate business versus stock-company bubbles.

View in context

A boy from the town, trenching on Smith's monopoly, was selling papers with the afternoon's news.

View in context

Even these meager accommodations you cannot be sure that you will have in monopoly; you must take your chance of being stowed in with a lot of others.

View in context

"You are angry because Agatha has infringed your monopoly. Always monopoly!

View in context

They were straitened on one side by the rivalry of the Hudson's Bay Company; then they had no good post on the Pacific where they could receive supplies by sea for their establishments beyond the mountains; nor, if they had one, could they ship their furs thence to China, that great mart for peltries; the Chinese trade being comprised in the monopoly of the East India Company.

View in context

And thus all the resources of taxation might by degrees become the subjects of federal monopoly, to the entire exclusion and destruction of the State governments."

View in context

Daylight still engaged in daring speculations, as, for instance, at the impending outbreak of the Japanese-Russian War, when, in the face of the experience and power of the shipping gamblers, he reached out and clutched practically a monopoly of available steamer-charters.

View in context

No one with a specialty can hope to have a monopoly of it.

View in context

From that time, the Hudson's Bay Company enjoyed a monopoly of the Indian trade from the coast of the Pacific to the Rocky Mountains, and for a considerable extent north and south.

View in context

Pickup and his pupils a complete monopoly of all the profit which could be extracted, in their line of business, from the feebly-buttoned pocket of the patron, and the inexhaustible credulity of the connoisseur.