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
As all over Polynesia, what developed in these fertile places was a pyramid, with a hereditary aristocracy ruling, through its monopoly control of water, over a highly class-stratified society. — Wade Graham, Smithsonian, "Why Molokai, With All Its Wonders, Is the Least Developed of Hawai’i’s Islands," 31 Aug. 2019 Napoli - runners up in three of the last four campaigns - travel to Turin to face Juventus in their own back yard that evening, with Carlo Ancelotti's men looking to finally end the Bianconeri's monopoly on Italian football. — SI.com, "Juventus vs Napoli: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 29 Aug. 2019 Just as a monopoly is the only company selling a particular good or service in a given market, a monopsony is the only company buying one. — Matt Darling, Quartz at Work, "Ready to destroy a longstanding argument against raising the minimum wage?," 28 Aug. 2019 But that began to change after the passage of the Orphan Drug Act, a 1983 law that provides government subsidies for clinical trials as well as tax incentives and additional monopoly protection to companies that develop products for rare diseases. — New York Times, "The $6 Million Drug Claim," 25 Aug. 2019 United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance—a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin that enjoyed a monopoly on national security launches before the emergence of SpaceX—may be bidding for its life. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Four rocket companies are competing for Air Force funding, and it is war," 12 Aug. 2019 That’s why the upzoning of Minneapolis, which made headlines for breaking the monopoly single-family home-only neighborhoods have on the urban landscape, made explicit mention of the environmental benefits of density. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "To combat climate change, cities need to tackle sprawl," 8 Aug. 2019 Mainstream economists have no monopoly on the truth, and alternative viewpoints should improve central bank decisions. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "Judy Shelton, a Goldbug Who Bends to Fit Trump," 4 July 2019 The male monopoly on surnames in our culture goes back centuries and has its roots in the ownership and tracking of property, which then included wives, children, and slaves. — Adrienne Brodeur, Glamour, "Our Children Have My Last Name. No, My Husband Doesn’t Mind," 13 Aug. 2019These 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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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
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