monopolies
n. countablen. situations where one company or person has complete control over a service or product. This means there is no competition, so they can set any price they want.
n. exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service. Often used to describe market structures that prevent competition and allow for price manipulation.
The government has laws to break up large monopolies.
Before the market was deregulated, the state-owned utility company held one of the country's largest monopolies.
Economists argue that natural monopolies can emerge in industries with high infrastructure costs, where it is more efficient for a single provider to serve the entire market under strict regulation.
Plural form of 'monopoly'. Often takes the preposition 'on' or 'over' when describing control of a specific sector.